Never Forget You
by AllThingsAnime123
Summary: Gabriel finally decides enough is enough, and takes it upon himself to play Cupid with Dean and Castiel's love-life. With Sam's help, will they be able to overcome Dean's infamous denial and Castiel's lack of familiarity with relationships, to form a match truly made in Heaven? Sequel to Always Remember Me. R&R greatly appreciated! :D
1. Love Drunk

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Supernatural, any of the characters or any of the lyrics used at the start of each chapter. If I did, let's just say the rating for the show would sky-rocket into 18+ only for all the Destiel, Sabriel and Browley that would take place.. But I digress.

**Author's Note: **This is a sequel to one of my Sabriel fics called 'Always Remember Me'. You don't need to read it to understand this one; just know that Dean and Sam helped restore Gabriel's memories after he came back without them, and then an archangel jumped a moose. Reviews will be met with great, big, candyfloss scented hugs, and I'll make an effort to reply to all of them :) Oh, one more thing. I'm writing this as well as doing a second year History course, so please forgive me if updates are scattered D: Thank you, and I hope you enjoy! x

* * *

_Hot sweat and blurry eyes_

_We're spinning on a rollercoaster ride_

_The world stuck in black and white_

_You drove me crazy every time we touched_

_Now I'm so broken that I can't get up_

_I used to be love drunk but now I'm hung-over_

In Sam's opinion, having an archangel flitting around constantly wasn't a bad thing. Far from it, in fact.

The hunts got a lot easier, for one. Sometimes, all he had to do was utter Gabriel's name in the presence of a creature, and it would flee as fast as its legs could carry it, knowing it was hopeless to fight against an archangel. More often than not, however, they still had a fight on their hands. Not that it was exactly a fight anymore. Gabriel could vaporise anything simply by snapping his fingers, and it was saving Sam and Dean a lot of injury. A lot of the time, Gabriel just hung back and only stepped in if things took a turn for the worse.

For another, it couldn't be denied that Gabriel was hours of entertainment and manic energy, rolled up inside such a small vessel. His edition to Sam and Dean's usual prank wars didn't take long to stroll down the path of utter mayhem. Only the other day for example, in response to Dean 'accidentally' swapping Gabriel's sugar for salt, the archangel retaliated by turning the Impala into a canary yellow Reliant Robin, and only changing it back once Dean had taken a trip to the local shop in the monstrosity.

Sam wasn't exempt from Gabriel's pranks, although Dean bitterly complained that he got off a lot lighter. Whereas Dean would wake up and find Gabriel had redecorated his motel room with hard-core gay pornographic photographs, Sam would discover his health food mysteriously being replaced with lollipops and other various sweets. But Dean had learnt not to complain too much; that just meant waking up the next morning with the television locked on the gay porn channel, the volume turned up to the max. Sam was very sympathetic towards his brother's plight; when he was done laughing, of course.

And lastly, though by no means least, it meant that Sam was getting plenty of sex. After walking in on what he had at Bobby's, Dean had stuck to his promise of getting them separate motel rooms from day one. And while Sam didn't just want Gabriel around because it meant he got laid, it was certainly in the top five of his reasons for wanting to see the archangel. He had no idea where Gabriel had learned to do _half_ the things he was able to, and he was too busy loving every second of it that he didn't stop too long to care.

Because of Sam and Gabriel's upgrade from acquaintances to relationship, Dean was clearly trying extra hard to be civil. Sam knew Dean had never quite forgiven Gabriel for the things the archangel had done to them, mainly TV Land and the Mystery Spot. This was even harder to accomplish when a couple of months ago, they had had to relive every encounter they'd ever had with the archangel as they helped to recover his lost memories. It had stirred up a lot of resentment and bad feeling, but both of them were keeping their mouths shut, for now.

So, for the first time in quite a while, Sam felt contended. He loved Gabriel, and he knew the archangel knew it too, although he'd never said it out loud. There was just one loose string still to tie up, and that was the issue of Dean and Castiel.

So far, Gabriel hadn't breeched the subject of playing matchmaker since he'd mentioned having a plan in passing back at Bobby's. But that was two months ago, and up to now the archangel hadn't made any further steps in helping it to become a reality. For the first couple of weeks, Sam had spent his spare time mentally crossing off potential ideas that he and Gabriel could use. He didn't say a word about it though; he was waiting for Gabriel to give him some sort of sign. But soon, Sam stopped thinking about the whole thing altogether, and became convinced that Gabriel had given up.

He was therefore surprised when Gabriel randomly brought it up one evening. He had just been dropping off to sleep when he felt Gabriel's sharp, bony elbow digging into his side.

Groaning and without even opening his eyes, he mumbled, "Gabriel, we've talked about this. Humans need to sleep. Four hours, maximum. If you're that horny, go take care of yourself."

Gabriel grinned, leaning on Sam's stomach. "Don't worry, Samsquatch, we'll get onto that later. I need advice."

At this, Sam opened one eye to stare at his lover somewhat sceptically. "You, Gabriel, archangel and messenger of God Himself, need a lowly human's advice?"

The archangel's mouth curled into a frown and he glared. "Shut up. Seriously Sammy, I need to hear your opinion on this."

"Are you going to keep bugging me until I help you?"

"Yes."

"Can you wait until morning?"

"No."

"What if I just make you leave with one of those angel banishing sigils?"

"Depends. Do you want to risk that, knowing full well what I'm capable of?"

"Good point well made."

Sam yawned, before sitting up a little straighter, making Gabriel's head drop to his thigh instead. The archangel stayed where he had fallen, smirking up at the hunter, mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Wow, it's good to be back down here. What's it been? An hour?"

"Gabriel, it's three in the morning. Tell me what you want my advice over so I can get some sleep." Sam grumbled, too tired to deal with Gabriel's jokes.

"Someone's not a morning person.."

"_Gabriel_."

"Okay, okay. Jeez, no need to go into full bitchface mode on me, Sammy."

At this, Sam turned his bitchface up a notch or two, which only made Gabriel chuckle. "Tell me what you want or I'll take the risk and banish you from this room."

Gabriel sighed and rolled his eyes. "You're no fun in the mornings, you know that? _Fine_. I just want your advice on how we start up my plan to get our brothers over their denial."

Sam blinked, taken aback. "It's been ages. I thought you'd given up."

Gabriel's expression turned derisive. "Me? Give up?"

Sam scowled. "Fine. Why's it taken you so long to bring this up again?"

The archangel shrugged. "I had to think of a good idea first, Sammy. And then I had to have an even better back-up plan in case this one failed. So now I need to ask you; how do you think we should start this off? My vote goes for just locking them in a room and not letting them out until they start being honest with us and one another."

Sam shook his head. "No way, Gabe. You know how Dean would react to that, and I doubt Castiel would be very happy. Besides, you know what Dean's like. You back him into a corner and he'll explode. I think we should try talking to them first."

There was a pause, before Gabriel said, "You're joking, right?" in a voice was practically dripping with cynicism.

"No. Why would I be?" Sam asked defensively.

"Sammy, no offence, but your brother isn't exactly easy to talk to about this type of thing. And Cassie's even _worse_, which I didn't think was at all possible."

"You've tried to talk them through it before, have you?"

"Sam, the world and their cousin has dropped every hint at the two of them."

"Well, maybe we just need to come out and spell it out for them." Sam replied with a shrug. "But you're right. Dean's not exactly comfortable with being honest with his emotions, least of all with me."

"You've got more of a chance with getting through that thick skull of his than I have. Can you imagine me trying to talk to him about opening up about his feelings?"

Sam scoffed. "He'd open fire on you."

"Exactly. But I guess you have a point. Let's talk to them first, and then when _that_ fails, we lock them up."

* * *

The idea of talking to Dean and Castiel before he let Gabriel loose on them had seemed like a good idea to Sam when he was half asleep at three in the morning. But now that the morning had come, the prospect seemed much more dangerous and uninviting. Dean didn't do 'chick-flick moments', and he'd _definitely_ regard discussing his feelings one of them. What had Sam been _thinking_?

But it was too late now. Gabriel had already zapped himself off to find Castiel, leaving Sam to approach Dean alone. Feeling like his legs and stomach had turned to lead he left his motel room and walked the four doors down to Dean's room. He knocked quietly, hoping his brother was still asleep or in the bathroom, giving him an excuse to abandon the whole thing and flee back to his own room.

However, it appeared that luck definitely wasn't on his side.

Not only did Dean throw open the door at Sam's timid knock, but he did so with a look of apoplectic rage. His green eyes were dancing with a mad, blazing fire, his jaw was tightly clenched and a vein was throbbing in his neck.

"That's _it_, Sam! He's gone too _far_!"

Seeing Dean in such a foul mood so early, Sam's original reason for visiting his brother fled from his mind. "Who has? What's wrong with you?"

"That fucking _midget_ is what's wrong with me!" Dean thundered. "Do you know what he's done this time?!"

Mentally cursing Gabriel for his truly _craptastic_ timing, Sam mutely shook his head. Dean inclined his head towards the motel room, before turning on his heel and storming off inside. Reluctant to shut himself into a confined space with his brother when he was in such a bad temper wasn't exactly a logical choice, but Sam had no other option. He could already see people staring open-mouthed out of their windows at the scene, so he quickly ducked inside the room and shut the door behind him, hoping Dean would keep his voice down now they were indoors.

Sam found Dean standing in the tiny kitchenette area, pointing at the table in front of him, looking ready to breathe fire. Sam approached cautiously, not really knowing what to expect. On the tabletop was one of the pies they had purchased on their way past a supermarket from a hunt the evening before. Dean had dragged Sam in and had picked out not one, but three different flavoured pies with childish glee. Sam could see a segment of the offending food was missing, and the insides were an inviting apple green, just as the label said the flavour should be. But -

"_Sprouts_, Sam! _Fucking sprouts!_" Dean thundered. "He's messed with me, he's messed with my baby, and now he's messing with my _food_ too! I'm _sick_ of it! I'm gonna _kill_ him!"

It took a full hour to calm Dean down, and by then the idea of discussing his brother's inner-most feelings was _laughable_. During that hour they'd binned the ruined pies, gone out to buy replacements and Dean had made several threats endangering Gabriel's life, but Sam still hadn't even hinted at the reason he'd knocked on Dean's door that morning. But he had promised Gabriel he'd at least _try_ to get something out of Dean, so he had to give it a go, no matter what mood his brother was in. That was a good idea, in theory, but every time he tried to think of a way to start the conversation, his mind remained stubbornly blank.

"I don't know what you see in him, Sam, I really don't." Dean said suddenly.

"Huh?" Sam had just been forming another potential conversation starter when he'd heard his name.

"Gabriel. I don't get why you went so crazy after him. He's a jackass."

Sam couldn't help but smile at that. "You're only saying that because he pranks you all the time."

"Sorry, am I the only one that remembers the Mystery Spot? Or TV Land? I mean, he destroyed any chance you have of having kids, killed me over and over, and he trapped Cas who knows where."

"Cas can handle himself. He was fine." Sam replied, seizing the chance.

"Sam, you saw him. He was all battered when he got away the first time." Dean shot back, and Sam could detect faint traces of concern laced in his brother's tone.

"I saw he was a little scratched up, but he was totally fine." Sam shrugged, keeping his voice as nonchalant as he could, subtly trying to pry something, _anything_out of Dean. "Are you seriously holding the fact Cas got a little bloodied up over Gabriel's head?"

Dean frowned. "Well, yeah. Cas is his brother. I don't get how he could do that to his family."

"He didn't do it personally, Dean. Geez, sounds like you were really worried about Cas. He wasn't even that badly hurt."

For a moment, Dean hesitated. In that moment, Sam saw a flicker of something in his brother's eyes, and his lips twitched as if he were about to say something but then caught himself. Sam waited, almost holding his breath, wondering if the tactic of talking had actually_ worked_, but then Dean turned away, crossing his arms in front of his chest in an almost defensive manner.

"He's a nerdy little guy with wings, but you're right, he can take care of himself."

Sam rolled his eyes so hard he practically strained something, but forced himself to say, "Exactly."

* * *

Just as Sam was knocking hesitantly on the door of Dean's motel room, Gabriel had materialised in a remote field somewhere in Illinois. Before him was a clump of broken, uneven earth, piled in small mounds. All around him were fallen trees, arranged around the soil in a ring. He stood there a while in silence, hands resting in the pockets of his jacket, serene smile on his face. He only spoke when he felt the atmosphere behind him shift, indicating he was no longer alone.

"This is where it all started, right bro?"

"If you are referring to my raising Dean Winchester from Perdition, then no. That began in the depths of Hell." Castiel spoke from just behind him.

Gabriel sighed. "Okay, fine, I'll rephrase what I said. This is where Deano crawled out and everything went downhill, right bro?"

"They averted the apocalypse. I do not see how -"

"Oh, our Dad, _forget_ it!" Gabriel cried in exasperation, crossing his arms over his chest and turning around to face Castiel. The angel was watching the broken grave intently, but slowly he tore his eyes away to meet Gabriel's gaze.

"Why did you summon me here?" He asked.

"Isn't it my job as your older brother to talk to you about your woes and problems?" Gabriel asked, grinning.

Castiel tipped his head to the side, eyebrows furrowing. "Dean says that -"

Gabriel interrupted the other angel by waving his hand impatiently. "I didn't call you to hear you preach the Gospel according to Dean Winchester." He completely ignored the copied bitchface Castiel pulled, and ploughed on. "I seriously just wanted to talk to you."

"What is it you wish to discuss? My time is limited at the moment."

"And yet you had a world-wide search for me every night a couple of months back, just because a certain hunter clicked his fingers and told you to." Gabriel shot back, docking an eyebrow. "I strongly suggest you don't lie to me, Castiel."

Castiel flinched. "That was not solely for Dean. It was in yours and Sam's best interests that I found you."

"Maybe not, but you just drop everything and come flying to him as soon as he calls."

"My bond with Dean is more profound. I raised him from -"

"You pulled Sammy out too, but you didn't answer him when he kept calling for you."

Castiel was getting more visibly flustered. He was gripping the cuffs of his trench coat as if his life depended on them, and his eyes had flitted from Gabriel's stare back to the mound of earth at their feet.

"I restored Dean to his former glory. I held his soul. I -"

"Left Sammy's down there to continue being Lucifer and Michael's plaything." Gabriel snapped, and suddenly he sounded furious. "You took so much _care_ with _Dean Winchester_, but you were _thoughtless_ and left a part of _Sam_ behind!"

Gabriel spotted the pain that crossed Castiel's eyes at these words, and relaxed his stance again. He knew Castiel's mistake hadn't been intentional, and the angel had done all he could in order to fix that very mistake. Compared to Gabriel, Castiel was just a _child_, fumbling around blindly, lost and confused, still so dependent on a Father that had just up and vanished without warning. Gabriel had been living on his own steam away from his angelic family for so long, he'd almost forgotten just how painful it was to not get a response from their absent Father. It still hurt him, but at least he'd left them behind by choice. Castiel had had the truth dropped on him like a steel weight, and that would have killed him.

"Look, it wasn't your fault. I didn't bring you here to yell at you for that." Gabriel went on, his tone much gentler this time. "I just wanted to ask why, that's all."

"Why what?"

"Why do you do so much for Dean? Don't forget bro, I remember everything now, and I remember spying on you guys quite a bit. He was never very grateful towards you, and yet you keep going back. I don't get it."

"As I recall, the Winchesters were not exactly thankful for your previous interactions with them, and yet you remained loyal to them."

"Hey, I'll get help for my sugar addiction before I lift a finger to make Deano's life easier. It's Sam I'm concerned about." Gabriel laughed. "I'm just wondering if I help Sammy for the same reasons you help Deano."

"What are you saying, Gabriel?"

Resisting the almost overwhelming temptation to roll his eyes, he said, "I'm saying, Cassie, I think you've got it bad for Deano." Upon seeing his brother's utterly blank expression, he could no longer control himself and cried, "Oh for the love of.. Seriously? You've been coming here for however long it's been and you _still _haven't picked up on the idiosyncrasies of their language? You've got a crush on him? You're head over heels?" Clapping a hand to his forehead, he practically yelled, "You love him?!"

At last, something registered and Castiel nodded. "As I love all of our Father's creations."

"Ohh no. No, you are _not_ pulling that on me, Castiel." Gabriel replied, shaking his head. "I've already proved you care for that numbskull more than you do about Sam! So if you love Deano the same as all of '_Dad's creations_'," He put on a cruel impersonation of Castiel's deep tone which earned him another bitchface, "You'd treat him and Sammy the same, but you _don't_. So you can take that politically correct answer and shove it. Tell me the _truth_."

Castiel broke his gaze from Gabriel once again to focus on what had been Dean's grave for four months, debating his brother's words in his mind. Gabriel had made a fair and valid point; he _had_ treated Dean and Sam differently. It was true that he was willing to do more for Dean than he was for Sam. And when he had pulled Sam from the Pit, he simply hadn't felt the same rush of emotion he had when he had raised Dean; as Gabriel had pointed out, he had been careless.

But did that mean that he loved Dean? That he treasured the hunter above all else residing on earth? It certainly seemed plausible. He cared for Sam and Bobby, but he didn't feel the same raw desire to protect and aid them that he did for Dean. He had _rebelled_ for Dean, given up everything he had once held such faith in, all for one human being. He'd gone against his brothers and sisters, all because Dean had asked him to. Would he have done that for anyone else? What gave Dean such power over his choices?

Gabriel was working hard to keep his thoughts contained, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. In his opinion, it was blatant that his brother was head over heels for Dean Winchester, but apparently Castiel was oblivious to such information. He was itching to scream all of this at Castiel, to just break the annoying silence that had descended upon them. In fact, he was on the verge of doing so, when Castiel spoke.

"I believe you are correct, Gabriel."

"What?"

"I believe I, like you, have found myself loving one of our Father's human beings more than is expected."

"Here's some advice Cassie. When you tell him that, just use the words 'I think I love you'. It's much easier."

* * *

Later that night, Sam was back in his and Gabriel's motel room, waiting for the angel to make a reappearance. He couldn't help but feel that Gabriel, out of spite, had laid that prank out for Dean knowing that as he was at the end of his tether already would flip, and Sam's talking plan would slam headlong into a brick wall. And thinking about that didn't really put him in the best of moods, either. That and Dean had made _him_ pay for the new pies, seeing as it was 'his angel's' fault they had to buy them in the first place. So when Gabriel appeared, bubbly and excitable, Sam's mood soured even further.

"Woah, is it just me or is there an atmosphere in here?" Gabriel asked the moment his feet touched the carpet, staring at Sam with a frown and docked eyebrow. "What's crawled up your ass?"

"Why did you do it, Gabriel?"

The archangel paused, pouting and rolling his eyes as if thinking. "Nope, gonna have to be a little more specific there, Sammy."

"That prank you pulled on Dean. Why'd you do it? You _knew_ I was going to talk to him today."

For a moment, Gabriel actually looked confused. Then a smirk broke out on his face and he snorted with laughter. "Oh my Dad, Sammy, I'm sorry. I set that up right after he got them. I didn't know he'd skip eating one last night and try it today instead."  
"Why did you do it at _all_, Gabe?" Sam asked, feeling his anger draining away. So Gabriel hadn't set it up on purpose, after all.

Gabriel shrugged. "You guys were heading back from a hunt, you were exhausted, and he made you stop to go and get pie. As if I can't just go and fetch some for you. So I decided his precious pies needed a little Trickster twist. I take it talking to Deano was a bust?"

Sam couldn't stop the grin from twisting his lips, and he shook his head. "It took me an hour to get him to stop snapping, 'Shut up Sam' every time I opened my mouth to talk to him. After that, I got him to basically admit he worries about Cas, but that was it. What about you?"

At his question, Gabriel's face lit up once again and he practically started bouncing on the balls of his feet. "I got a full, blown out love confession!"

Sam gaped, and sat up a little straighter on the sofa. "You're _joking_."

"Nope! I can tell you that Cassie is aware he's got the hots for Deano! So now we just need him to admit the same thing!"

Sam scoffed. "Yeah, we'll get to that point when Crowley starts handing out sweets to orphans."

"Well come _on_, Sammy. You've got a brain under all that hair! Use it!"

Sam smirked. "Well, I did have this one idea."


	2. Stay Young

_Let's light the kerosene tonight_

_Spark up like fireworks exploding in the sky_

_Kick down the New Year and the future_

_We can't get closer here, the walls are falling down_

'_Cos you, a feeling I can't deny_

_We are only here for one more night_

_Scream it like you mean it one more time_

_Stay young_

The moment Gabriel sensed Dean was awake the following morning, he carefully vanished from the bed beside Sam and re-appeared fully clothed in the walkway outside the room. He knew he had to be sneaky, because the talk he was about to have with the elder hunter wasn't a part of what he and Sam had planned the previous evening. In fact, Sam had specifically asked him to stay out of Dean's way to avoid him already being in a horrible mood before they even started.

But after his talk with Castiel, Gabriel had been reminded just how poorly he'd witnessed his brother being treated, and he was personally sick of how underappreciated Castiel was. Castiel had done something Gabriel had never been able to before the Elysian, and had stood up to his older brothers alongside two human beings. And now he was fighting a civil war against Raphael, all by himself.

Because of that, and the fact that he and Castiel shared very similar views in regards to humanity, Gabriel couldn't help but feel his protective older brother sense kick in. And seeing as Dean was the main cause of Castiel's misery, it was he that Gabriel would be having a little chat with. So whether Sam approved of it or not, and Gabriel highly doubted he would like it, Dean Winchester was going to hear what Gabriel had to say.

In order to give Dean a chance to wake himself up, Gabriel walked the short distance between their doors rather than fly there, before rapping his knuckles on the door. There was a muffled groan from behind the wood, and shortly afterwards it was wrenched open. Dean stood in the doorway, hair mussed up, clad in a pair of boxers and the shirt he had been wearing yesterday. Upon seeing his visitor, he groaned again.

"What the hell do _you_ want?"

"Charming welcome, as always." Gabriel replied sharply, and Dean raised his eyebrows. "I want to talk to you about something."

"Come back later then when I'm more awake." Dean snapped, and made to shut the door.

Without raising his arm, Gabriel forced the door to stop, before glaring up at Dean. "No, we're going to talk now. You can either back up and let me in, or I'll _make_ you back up and let me in. I'll leave the choice to you."

Wisely, Dean seemed to sense that Gabriel wasn't in a joking mood, because he retreated into the room without another word. The archangel followed him, heeling the door closed and then turning to face the hunter. Dean was glaring back at him, matching the malice in Gabriel's gaze, stood in a similar stance with his arms folded tightly over his chest.

"What do you want, Gabriel? Make this quick."

"I'm going to cut right to the chase, because shockingly, I don't enjoy your company all that much. So, from one big brother to another, _get your act together_." Gabriel spoke the last part in a voice that seemed to hum with barely suppressed anger.

"What? The hell are you talking about?"

"I think it's quite clear, even for you. Stop messing about, and get your act together."

"Gabriel, it's nine in the fucking morning. Tell me what you're going on about or -"

"Or _what_, boy?" Gabriel snarled, and the light on the wall began to flicker. "I tolerate you Dean, for Sam and for Castiel. But don't forget, I could send you somewhere that makes Hell seem like a five star resort."

Dean didn't let his glare waver any, but he struggled to suppress the shiver of fear that passed through him at that prospect. He liked to believe he didn't scare easily, that was part of his job description after all, but the simple fact was that Hell still filled him with horror and revulsion. And he knew perfectly well that Gabriel could follow through on that threat easier than blinking.

"So you came here to stop messing about?"

"I came here to say that, and to give you a warning." Gabriel replied in a much calmer tone, and the lights flickered into darkness once more.

"What warning? That you'll drop me in a place worse than Hell if I don't meet your expectations?"

"That I will personally rip you to pieces if you continue to treat Castiel in the way you have thus far." The archangel snarled, keeping his eyes locked on Dean's at all times so the hunter understood just how serious he was.

There was a moment of utter silence between Dean and Gabriel. The hunter was gaping at the archangel before him, utterly unable to comprehend just where the hell _that_ had come from. Gabriel continued to meet Dean's now stunned eye, his own expression cold and expectant. After a second or two, Dean shook his head and threw his arms wide for emphasis.

"_What_?"

"It's not a difficult concept to grasp, Deano. You expect so much from him, but when he asks something of you; it's a totally different story. He will never ask you to cut him some slack, because he'll just keep accepting it and taking it, Dad knows why. I, however, won't. I'm sick of how he's been treated, and either it changes or you'll find yourself spiralling down a wormhole."

And with that, Gabriel's index finger shot out and jabbed Dean on the forehead. A moment later, the hunter fell backwards, fast asleep again. With a second snap, Dean was lifted into the air and hovered across the room like a creepy rag doll, before being dropped in his bed. That done, Gabriel zapped himself back into his and Sam's motel room, where the younger Winchester was still curled up, sleeping peacefully. Gabriel stood and watched him for a moment, wondering just how someone as caring and loveable as Sam could share DNA with the moody alcoholic four doors down. He supposed that was just another sick twist of his Father's humour. Rolling his eyes, Gabriel slid himself back into the covers and snuggled up against the hunter as if nothing had happened.

* * *

A couple of hours later saw Dean and Sam both up and about, and packing their belongings into the Impala, ready to move on to the next hunt. Gabriel flitted between the two of them, offering to take things from Sam and trying to trip Dean up as he walked along, arms full. Sam had noticed his brother was acting a little strangely, snapping at Gabriel even more than usual, but when asked would only grumble that he'd had a 'weird-ass dream'. He had then flicked Gabriel a glance, who had responded by sticking out his tongue. When Dean went off to return their keys, Sam seized the chance.

"Alright, what part of 'Leave Dean alone' didn't register in that head of yours?" He strode over to Gabriel, who was leaning against the door of the Impala.

"What?" The archangel replied, giving Sam the best puppy eyes he could manage.

"You can cut that out now, because it's not going to work on me. What did you do?"

Gabriel pouted. "Why is it always me you blame when something's up with your brother?"

"Because Gabe, let's be honest, he's in a bad mood almost always because you've done something to him. I'm going to ask you one more time, and if you lie again, I'm withholding sex."

Gabriel's mouth fell open. "Sammy, that's not fair!"

"Spill. What did you do to Dean that was so vital, you saw it necessary to ignore my very specific instructions?"

"I just _talked_ to him, geez."

"You expect me to believe he's shooting you those weird looks every few minutes because the two of you had a conversation? Sorry Gabe, not buying it."

"Okay, I _might_ have threatened him. A teeny, little bit. And then I made him think it was all a dream so he wouldn't tell you." Gabriel grumbled, folding his arms over his chest and behaving every inch the toddler he looked like. "You're not allowed to use that sex-ban against me for at least a month."

"I agree to no such thing; it's the only thing I can use on you to get you to tell me the truth." Sam said with a grin, before he sighed. "_Why_ did you threaten him, can I ask?"

"Because if we're going to be setting him up with Castiel, I want to make sure he treats my brother properly. No more using him as a doormat, you know? I'm sick of it. And now I'm back in the picture that is going to change."

Sam felt his grin grow a little wider, and he wound his arm around Gabriel's shoulders. "You're an old romantic at heart, aren't you?"

"I think you'll find I'm full of surprises," Gabriel said, sliding both arms around Sam's waist and melding their bodies together. "Want me to show you?"

Sam had just opened his mouth to reply positively when they heard an irritated-sounding voice snap, "You can quit that now, or I'm putting you in a ring of Holy fire."

"_Dean_." Sam began, turning around to stare at his approaching brother in part-exasperation, part-annoyance for cutting his flirting short.

Subconsciously, he had already reached out to hold Gabriel back, but was shocked to discover the archangel hadn't actually budged an inch. After glancing down at him Sam discovered that he was in fact grinning widely; the sort of grin that Sam knew could only end in trouble. It was the _exact_ same look Gabriel got every time he was planning a particularly evil prank. The last time Sam had seen Gabriel looking at Dean the way he currently was, the archangel had dyed everything the hunter owned a bright, gaudy pink. Before he could ask what Gabriel was thinking, however, there was a snap and his hand was touching thin air.

"Oh, this can't be good." Sam muttered under his breath.

* * *

Gabriel reappeared about an hour later in the backseats of the Impala with a bang like a firework and several accompanying explosions of multi-coloured light. Dean and Sam both swore ferociously, and Dean swung the steering wheel sharply to the side, causing them to veer off the road to the tune of several car horns and screech to a halt. Dean then hunched up in his seat, hands fixed on the wheel, muttering a string of insults and threats to Gabriel, and apologies to his precious car. Sam, meanwhile, turned and glared at the archangel.

"_Not_. _Funny_." He growled menacingly, clearly showing Gabriel he wasn't kidding around.

"Au contraire." Gabriel replied with a look of blissful ecstasy. "It's hilarious. I'm storing the faces you two just pulled into my memory bank forever."

"Sam, let me kill him." Dean spat out through gritted teeth, still hunkered down.

"I'd like to see you try, Deano." Gabriel said in a sing-song tone.

"_Gabriel_." Sam interrupted loudly, effectively stopping the new potential argument before it even started. "Do you mind telling us exactly _why_ you just tried to scare us to death?"

"A distraction."

"Distraction?" Dean had finally sat up straight and had swivelled in his seat to watch Gabriel too. The archangel was staring at a spot above Sam's head, and didn't reply.

"A distraction from what, Gabriel?" Sam tried, shooting a nervous glance to the car's roof above him and back.

At that moment, a gentle hum began to reverberate around the car from the very spot Gabriel was yet to take his eyes off. Both Sam and Dean faced it too, feeling apprehensive about just what was going to happen. Gabriel was unpredictable at the best of times, Sam knew that from personal experience, and after seeing the archangel's grin that morning, God only knew what he had in store. The humming was getting progressively louder with every passing second, and Sam was just reaching for his door handle when he felt Gabriel's grip on his upper arm.

"A distraction from this!" He called brightly before both he and Sam vanished.

Dean only just had time to mutter "Son of a -" before the insides of the car exploded with blinding light. Thanks to his quick hunter reflexes, Dean was able to shield his eyes before his retinas could be burned out. He only knew of one type of creature that could produce a light like that, and it wasn't exactly friendly to human eyes. He then heard the thump of something landing in Sam's seat, before a voice he could pinpoint anywhere spoke.

"Dean?"

"_Cas_?!"

The light had already faded enough for Dean to open his eyes without fear of going blind, and he did so. Looking distinctly dishevelled and confused just across from him, was Castiel. The angel's hair was messier than normal and he looked more worn down than he had the last time they had seen one another. News on the civil war didn't seem to be good, Dean realised with a pang.

"Did you summon me here?" Castiel asked suddenly.

"What?" Dean was shocked out of his reverie, and shook his head. "No. I was just driving with Sam, and -" He trailed off, and when he next spoke, his tone was much darker. "_Gabriel_."

As if in answer, the radio suddenly crackled and came to life, broadcasting nothing but static. Dean only had time to glance at it in concern before the aforementioned archangel's voice rang out.

"Testing, one, two, testing! Earth to Deano and Cassie! Can you two chuckleheads hear me?"

"Gabriel?" Castiel asked hesitantly, eyeing the radio suspiciously as if suspecting the archangel was hiding somewhere inside. Despite how irritated he felt, the corner of Dean's mouth twitched in a hint of a smile at that thought.

"Ah, thank Dad! Sammy, I got the right radio frequency this time! What? Oh, stop looking at me like that; it was an honest mistake. I'm sure that other guy is totally fine!"

"Gabriel, what the hell are you doing?" Dean hissed, feeling ridiculous for addressing the radio, but seeing no alternative.

"Well, you see Dean, I was bored waiting for Sammy to arrive where you told me you were both headed to, so I came and fetched him myself. He's not a total crybaby when it comes to flying, unlike someone _else_ I could mention. Anyway, out of the goodness of my heart, I just couldn't leave you all alone for such a long drive, so I went out and found you some company!"

"I'm not a fucking child, Gabriel!"

"Brother, I am very busy -"

"Deano, to me, you're not even a glint in your daddy's eye. And Cassie, don't sweat it! We're only an hour away."

"Dean, I apologise, but I must leave." Castiel spoke rather sharply, staring at the radio hard, before sitting back in his seat. Dean waited for him to vanish with a flap of his wings, but nothing happened. After a moment or two, they both heard Gabriel chuckling.

"Ah, ah, ah, Castiel. No leaving until I say so. That goes for you too, Deano."

"_Gabriel_, _have you been messing with my car again_?!"

"Let us out, Gabriel."

"I'll let you out when I'm satisfied there's been some improvement. Now, rather than sitting at the edge of the road, maybe you should get going. Might look a tad suspicious, two men just sitting in a car, waiting.."

"When I get out of here, I swear, I'm going to rip your fucking head off." Dean spat.

"I look forward to seeing you attempt it. Bye!" And with that, the radio crackled once before the interior of the car was plunged into silence. This was broken by Dean slamming his hands on the steering wheel.

"Son of a _bitch_! What the _fuck_ is wrong with him?!"

"He will release us when we reach him and Sam. We should therefore arrive as quickly as possible."

"Amen to that." Dean muttered, starting the engine up again.

He pulled the Impala back into the steady flow of cars, and once more became immersed with watching the road ahead. Castiel was sitting stiffly in his seat, and although his facial expression didn't portray it, his eyes were burning with irritation. He just couldn't fathom why Gabriel had dragged him from his business in Heaven to spend a car journey with Dean Winchester. Unless..

He felt an unfamiliar stab of pain in his chest and a sudden wave of cold slipped down his spine as he remembered the conversation he'd shared with Gabriel just the other day. It seemed too much of a coincidence that he had admitted to loving Dean Winchester only to find himself trapped in a confined space with that very same human the next day.

The radio suddenly crackled again, and Gabriel's voice rang out once again. "Geez, not a lot of conversation going on here. Alright, guess I'll just have to spark up this talk."

Dean had just opened his mouth to protest when Blink 182's rendition of '_I Miss You_' suddenly began to blare from the radio. Dean cringed at what he considered to be an assault on his hearing, and desperately tried to ignore Gabriel's crap choice of music. It was difficult however, especially when the archangel turned the volume up to emphasise certain lyrics; '_Hello there, the ANGEL FROM MY NIGHTMARE_', '_Like indecision to call you, and heard your voice of treason, WILL YOU COME HOME AND STOP THIS PAIN TONIGHT?_' and '_Don't waste your time on me; YOU'RE ALREADY THE VOICE INSIDE MY HEAD; I MISS YOU_'.

For the next forty-five minutes, Dean and Castiel were subjected to Gabriel's increasingly poor choice of songs. Dean, especially, was suffering. He was certain Sam had had some input into what Gabriel was picking, because there was absolutely _no way_ Gabriel knew which songs really grated on his nerves as badly as these were. They were forced to endure Whitney Houston's '_I Will Always Love You_', Bette Midler's '_Wind Beneath My Wings_', The Cab's '_Angel With A Shotgun_', Elton John's '_Can You Feel The Love Tonight?_' and Maria McKee's '_Show Me Heaven_' to name but a few. He had, of course, tried just turning the radio off. All that had happened though was he had been given an electric shock and Gabriel played the next cheesy love song on maximum volume.

"Gabriel," Dean managed to choke out through clenched teeth as the last notes of Bryan Adams' '_Everything I Do I Do It For You_' finally faded away. "Stop this now or I'm going to set fire to _all_ of your sugar stash."

There was a pause, and the hunter thought that _finally_, Sam had put a stop to Gabriel's antics, and he and Castiel could enjoy the last few minutes of the painful journey in silence. But he was wrong. A moment later, another song started up and Dean very nearly head-butted the steering wheel in agonised frustration. Gabriel had discovered Christina Perri's '_A Thousand Years_' about a month ago, and had seemingly fallen in love with it. The archangel listened to it non-stop, hummed it constantly and insisted on playing it daily. Dean, on principle, loathed the damn song and made no efforts to appear subtle in his hatred of it. Which, true to form, meant Gabriel only played it all the more.

Dean breathed a sigh of relief when the torturous song ended, but felt dread pooling in his stomach over what Gabriel would choose next. Whatever it was, it couldn't be worse than what they'd just endured, surely. However, when the same piano notes started up again, Dean swore furiously. When he heard the seat beside him shift, he glanced sideways, and felt a whole new level of horror pulsate around him. Castiel had inclined forwards slightly so that he was closer to the radio, and he appeared to actually be _listening_ to the song.

"This can't get any worse." He muttered under his breath, doing his best to tune out the dreadful music as he drove.

Gabriel kept '_A Thousand Years_' on a constant loop for the remainder of their journey, and by the time they rolled into the car park of the new motel, Dean looked ready to have a mental breakdown. What didn't help was how after the fifth or sixth time of hearing it, Castiel began to tap his finger along to the piano, and continued to do so every other time it came on. As he switched off the engine again, at long last, the radio crackled into silence. He sat rigidly in his seat, staring straight ahead, breathing hard through his nose. It was official; the archangel was going to lose his lungs.

"Dean? Is everything alright?"

"Oh yeah, Cas, it's fan-fucking-tastic." He snapped in a tone dripping sarcasm. "My brother's fucking an archangel who seems hell-bent on driving me insane, everything's going to Hell in a hand-basket, and you tell me things are heading for a second Apocalypse. Yeah, everything's just fucking _peachy_."

He knew it was a low blow to mention that Castiel was failing in his attempts to stop Raphael, but at that moment he was too angry to care. Still staring dead ahead, he missed the blatant flash of pain that crossed the angel's eyes. He also missed the way Castiel was fiddling with the sleeves of his trench coat, and flicking his gaze from Dean to the floor and back again. The hunter, completely oblivious, was still ranting.

"And just what the _fuck_ is Gabriel's problem? I get I'm the butt of most of his 'jokes', and I can ignore it for a while, but I'm getting fucking _sick_ of it!

"I apologise that my presence was troublesome for you." Castiel replied, but Dean was in too much of a rage to notice the subtle hint of pain hidden within the angel's voice.

"I just don't get what he's doing! If I need you, I call you and more often than not, you come! It's almost like he's trying to fucking set us up, or something!"

"Is that likely?"

"Cas, he trapped us together and blasted the cheesiest barrage of sappy shit music I've ever heard before at us!"

"But why would he do such a thing?"

"Beats the hell out me. Probably got it fixed in his head that I like you, which is the biggest pile of bullshit going." Dean snapped with a shrug, before shouting to thin air, "Gabriel, let us the fuck _out_, dammit!"

The sound of flapping wings made Dean jump, and he turned in his seat to face Castiel, except the angel was no longer there. And it was then, as he sat there staring at thin air, that everything he'd just said came back to him, thudding in his head. A wave of guilt immediately followed, and he leant forwards, covering his face with his hands. He _always_ engaged his mouth before his brain had a chance to join the discussion, and it _always_ ended with him saying something he regretted. And it seemed to happen more to Castiel than to anyone else.

Watching the scene from a motel, meanwhile, were Sam and Gabriel. The archangel was staring at the Impala hard, his mouth curled into a scowl. Beside him, Sam kept flicking his gaze from Dean, who was still hunched over in his seat, to Gabriel who looked ready to kill. He wasn't sure who he was more concerned about, although as Gabriel's rage seemed to be focused on Dean, Sam supposed he should be more worried for his brother.

"He's a colossal moron, you know." Gabriel said suddenly, not taking his eyes away from the car.

"Why? What did he do?"

"What he usually does. Create yet another 'open-mouth-insert-foot' moment." Gabriel said coldly with a roll of his eyes. "Which basically puts us three steps back in our plan."

Sam groaned. "What do we do now, then?"

"See, one of the many problems Dean has is that he takes Cassie for granted. If we take that away, he'll learn to appreciate my bro much more. And maybe, if we're lucky, spending time away from Castiel will show Deano just how much he means."

"So what are you saying?"

"What I'm saying is; Sammy, we have to up the ante."


	3. Behind Blue Eyes

_No-one knows what it's like to feel these feelings_

_Like I do and I blame you_

_No-one bites back as hard on their anger_

_None of my pain and woe can show through_

_No-one knows how to say that they're sorry and don't worry_

_I'm not telling lies_

_No-one knows what it's like to be the bad man_

_To be the sad man behind blue eyes_

Castiel didn't have a clear idea of where he was going when he left the Impala. All he knew was that as soon as he felt the pressure of Gabriel's Grace leave the car, he needed to escape. Every time Dean had opened his mouth to rant some more, it sent another twinge of pain slicing through Castiel, hitting all the way through his vessel and striking right at the centre of his being. For the first time, he needed to be somewhere that didn't have Dean Winchester nearby. It didn't matter where it was; just as long as he was alone, he didn't care.

Heaven clearly wasn't an option. Although he desperately needed to return and continue fighting against Raphael's forces, he just couldn't bring himself to go back and have even _more_ problems piled on top of his already straining shoulders. He just needed to take a few moments to compose himself, to return to his mask of indifference, and then he'd continue as if the incident with Dean had never happened.

He finally touched down on a completely vacant beach. Pebbles crunched beneath his shoes as he walked along the shoreline, breathing in the scent of salt. It was early evening, and darkness had fallen like a cold, black blanket. The sea lapped at the stones a short distance to his left, the rattling sound relaxing him. The moon had begun its graceful arch across the sky, and the light from it created a beautiful glow on the water's rippled surface. Castiel came to a halt, before he settled himself down on the hard stones, staring out into the horizon. Admiring his Father's natural creations always calmed him somewhat, and he intended to stay on that shore, alone, for as long as it took.

In hindsight, he should have known better.

"Really, Cassie? A bit dramatic, don't you think?"

"Gabriel, I wish to be left alone." Castiel replied shortly without turning around.

There was a crunch of stones before Gabriel settled down next to him and spoke as if Castiel hadn't replied. "I mean, flying halfway around the world just to get away from Deano? Maybe it's just me, but that sounds a tad extreme."

"You transported yourself to an entirely different dimension after re-discovering your death." Castiel pointed out sharply, and then added in a quieter tone, "Please, brother, leave me."

Gabriel shot him a look of mock indignation and again, pretended not to hear his plea to be left by himself. "_Excuse _me, but I'd just found out Sammy had been keeping the fact I'd _died_ from me! You should be _used_ to Deano royally screwing up."

"Dean did not make a mistake. It was _you_ who antagonised him."

"It was just a joke!"

"If you are the only one laughing, brother, then it is not much of a joke." Castiel snapped.

Gabriel frowned, genuinely annoyed now. "Are you trying to say it's _my_ fault he said that stuff to you?"

"What I am saying is that your interference did nothing to help."

"Charming." Gabriel said stiffly. "I try and give the two of you a push in the right direction and _this_ is the thanks I get for it."

"I never asked for your aid."

"Like anything would have happened _without_ my help!" He snapped, now angry. "We're talking about Dean _I-don't-do-emotional-attachment_ Winchester, here! And let's face it Cassie, without me, you wouldn't even _know_ how you felt about him!"

"And maybe that was for the best."

At that, Gabriel fell silent. Castiel was still staring out to sea, but the archangel could see the flicker of pain in his younger brother's eyes. At once, Gabriel felt a stab of guilt. He had underestimated Dean's adamant refusal to accept even the faintest glimmer of emotion, and in doing so it had resulted in nothing but further pain for Castiel. His intentions had been good, but nothing positive had come from them. He now understood properly how Sam had felt when he'd hidden that DVD; he'd wanted to prevent pain, but had ended up doubling it.

"I'm sorry, Castiel. Truly." Gabriel said, voice now barely above a whisper. "I just wanted to help, that's all."

"You are forgiven."

In truth, Castiel had always believed he had loved Dean Winchester more than was expected of him. Fighting through Hell in order to find the Righteous Man had started out as simply a mission, but that had been before he'd gazed upon Dean Winchester's soul. It was broken and defiled by its time in Hell, and yet it remained the single most breath-taking entity Castiel had ever seen. The moment he'd laid hand on Dean, he knew that his bond with this human was special. He had taken time to rebuild every inch of Dean, and had found him as equally beautiful as his unique soul.

When they had first met fact-to-face, Castiel had already made mistakes and Dean was no closer to trusting him than he was trusting Ruby. At first, their relationship seemed to take several big steps backwards. Uriel was a constant source of derision against humankind, Dean in particular, and Castiel had remained adamant in his belief in his apparent orders from his Father. He first became aware of his deepening feelings for the hunter when he personally witnessed Dean kissing Anael. The bizarre rush of emotion he experienced left him baffled and shocked; usually he didn't feel much emotion at all. But witnessing that, he endured a horrible, cold _pain_ deep in his chest.

Over the time that followed, Castiel continued to openly display his mounting distrust in just where his orders were coming from, all on the word of Dean Winchester. That all ended in disaster when Heaven taught him a 'lesson' about just who he should be serving. He felt a deep cold slip through his being as he remembered. But even that hadn't been incentive enough for him to remain loyal to Zachariah. Dean had pleaded with him to release him from that room so that the Apocalypse could be averted, and eventually, Castiel had listened and ultimately, this led to his own death.

Being cut off from Heaven was still one of the most painful experiences of Castiel's life. He had never before felt so alone in the world; to hear only silence in his head when before there had been the constant chatter of angels. There had never been another time when he had felt so powerless and weak, unable to protect himself or Dean. And yet, the thought of abandoning Dean didn't even occur to him; it just wasn't an option. He was bound to Dean in ways he couldn't explain, and no matter how the hunter treated him, he couldn't simply walk away. He had even, in a body that was practically human, figured out the complexities of catching a bus to travel to Dean and help him battle Pestilence.

When Dean returned to Lisa and her son, Ben, Castiel remained at bay and didn't drag Dean back into the life of hunting. He now had the war with Raphael to contend with, but he also found himself desperately missing Dean's presence. Every so often, not so much that it became commonplace to avoid Dean becoming suspicious, Castiel would appear invisible before the hunter, just to ensure that he was still safe.

In a way, he supposed, Gabriel was correct; it was blatantly obvious how strongly he felt for Dean Winchester. The hunter's safety, most of the time, was at the top of his list of priorities. He was perfectly willing to abandon the civil war raging in Heaven, just to come to Dean's aid. But now that he truly understood how he felt, how should he proceed with it? Gabriel clearly wanted him to tell Dean, but that was -

"Cassie? Come back to me, Cassie." Gabriel's voice knocked him out of his reverie.

Castiel shot Gabriel a bitchface. "What is it?"

"You spaced out for a long time, there."

"I was thinking. You interrupted me."

"Ooh, what were you thinking about? A certain green-eyed, emotionally crippled hunter, hm?"

Castiel nodded once. "Yes." He paused, but then decided to plough on. "Brother, I have never been able to understand the complication of human emotion -"

"Understatement of the millennium."

"- so I find myself unsure of how to progress with these peculiar emotions regarding Dean." He finished, talking as though Gabriel's interruption had never happened. "I require guidance."

Gabriel paused for a moment, and actually looked surprised. "You're asking me for help?"

"There is no other alternative."

The archangel pouted and folded his arms over his chest. "So you're coming to me because there's no other choice? I'm your last resort? Gee bro, really feeling the love here."

Castiel rolled his eyes – an action only Dean could have taught him – and spoke. "I apologise Gabriel. Please assist me; I need your help."

"Well, of course you do!" Gabriel cried, bubbly and excitable once more, sour mood long forgotten. "You said it yourself, Cassie, you've got _no _idea about stuff like this! But what would you do if I told you there was a very easy, pain-free way of helping you?"

Castiel finally tore his eyes away from the ocean and looked across at Gabriel, frowning. "I would say it was impossible."

"Then it's a good thing you've got a genius for a brother, isn't it? Because I have an idea."

And before Castiel could ask just _what_ Gabriel's incredible plan was, his brother had snapped his fingers.

* * *

Dean stretched out further on his bed, trying to find a position that was comfortable. No matter what he did, however, there always seemed to be a spring from the mattress poking up into his back. He scowled as he moved yet again, cursing Gabriel for choosing the damn place, and vowing never to let the archangel pick where they stayed ever again. Sam was sat at the table, tapping away at his laptop, searching for any potential cases in the town. With every creak of Dean's mattress, his patience edged a little closer to breaking point, until eventually he snapped.

"Would it kill you to stay still for _five minutes_?!"

"Shut it, bitch! This bed is ridiculous!"

"Then lay on the floor, jerk!" Sam snapped, going back to his laptop. "I don't get why you're lying down anyway! How's about you pitch in and help me look for a case?"

"As much as I'd _love_ to do that, Sammy, I'm exhausted."

Sam frowned. "And what exactly is it you've done that's tired you out?"

"Got no sleep last night, for one. Seriously, tell that archangel to knock it off with the crazy dreams, okay?"

"What dreams?" Sam asked. Gabriel had told him that he'd spoken to Dean and made the hunter believe it was all in his imagination, but Dean had yet to mention it to him.

As he expected, Dean paused, realising his slip-up. But then he continued, as if he'd been dying to talk about it all along. "I just had a dream that he spoke to me. But I know he made me have it because one, why the hell would I be dreaming of _Gabriel_, and two, why would I remember it so clearly?"

"He spoke to you? What about?"

Giving up on ever getting comfortable in the bed, Dean sat up. "He basically said I treat Cas like shit, and it has to stop, or he'll drop me in a wormhole. Or a place that makes Hell seem like a five star joint. I think those were his words."

Sam scowled, making a mental note to have words with Gabriel about that. There were certain boundaries you just didn't cross, and mentioning their trips to Hell was one of them. "And do you think he's got a point?"

"Yes. No. I don't know." Dean said, running a hand through his hair. "Cas has never said anything, has he?"

"No, but that doesn't mean it doesn't bother him." Sam shrugged. "I mean, look who he's had as his mentor for dealing with pain."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dean asked, visibly bristling.

Sam rolled his eyes. "Just that he's learned to supress anything he feels from following your lead."

Dean scowled. "And you think Gabriel's right about him?"

"I think Gabriel gets his brother more than we do sometimes. So if he says Cas is suffering, then I for one, believe him."

And just like the other morning when Sam had talked to Dean about Castiel and TV Land, he saw obvious concern mar his brother's facial expression for a moment or two. Dean's eyes had slid away from Sam's and were focused instead on the window, where outside a furious storm was raging. In them, if he looked closely, Sam could see a glimmer of something that looked like mild panic as they slid up to face the ceiling. Sam had just opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, but then the moment passed and Dean turned back to face him.

"Speaking of the midget, where is he?"

"I don't know." Sam replied with a weary sigh, giving up research for the evening. "I don't keep constant tabs on him, you know."

No sooner had the words left his lips than the door to their motel room opened, and Gabriel walked in. Despite the torrential rain outside he remained completely bone dry, and his hands were held behind his back. This, coupled with the beaming grin etched onto his face, rang instant alarm bells for both Sam and Dean at exactly the same time.

"What have you done this time?" Dean asked bluntly, eyeing Gabriel with obvious suspicion.

Gabriel pouted. "It's nice to see how much you trust me, Deano."

"What have you got?" Sam asked, nodding towards what Gabriel was hiding. "And I swear," He added as the archangel opened his mouth, "If you say 'A surprise', you'll regret it."

Gabriel instantly closed his mouth again and sighed. "You're no fun, you know that? _Fine_."

He brought his hands out from behind his back and showed them what he was holding. At first, Sam thought it was a lump of soaked black material and was on the verge of asking Gabriel just why he'd picked it up when it _moved_. Sam watched as two velvety black ears pricked up from the ball, and slowly a small furry black head was raised. Confused, scared blue eyes blinked up at him and the pink smudge that was the kitten's nose twitched. A royal blue collar hung around its neck, the metal disc beneath in the shape of a heart. Then it turned to face Gabriel, and an instant change came over it. The fur on its back stood on end and it hissed angrily, eyes lighting up with fury.

Gabriel wasn't even fazed, though. He simply moved his hand to avoid the swipe the kitten took at him, and then held it aloft by the scruff of its neck. The kitten continued to hiss and spit, swinging its legs in its attempt to claw him, but it was too small to reach. After one last attempted swipe, it slumped in his grip, defeated. As if taunting it, Gabriel sniggered, and tickled it under its chin. The kitten's rage returned in a millisecond, and it managed to sink its tiny fangs into the tip of Gabriel's finger. The archangel was unaffected, however, and it only made him laugh harder.

"Gabriel, what -" Sam began.

"I just found him sat there in the rain! Look how cute he is!" Gabriel grinned, indicating to the kitten that was now trying to scratch the finger it still held between its teeth.

"No way. We cannot, absolutely can't, keep it." Dean said firmly from his bed, shaking his head.

Sam was about to tell Gabriel he was sorry and agree with his brother, until he heard the archangel's voice in his head. "_Just play along with me on this, Sammy. Trust me._"

"But _Dean_!" Gabriel groaned petulantly, sounding like a five year old begging for sweets. "_Look_ at him!" He held the kitten aloft, finally prising his finger from its grip as he did so.

"Yeah, it's adorable." Dean said stiffly. "And while I love that it hates you, we can't keep it. Right, Sammy?"

"Uh.." Sam began, before catching Gabriel's expectant glance, and composed himself. "I dunno Dean, it wouldn't hurt to keep it."

Dean gaped at him. "Are you _serious_? Sam, you know the kind of life we lead. A pet's just going to get in the way."

"Come on, Deano! I managed to take care of a Jack Russell when I was screwing about with you two mutton-heads and giving people their just desserts! It's easy! And cats are even easier to take care of!"

"Yeah, Dean, all we have to do is feed it." Sam added, shrugging. "It'd be nice for you to have some company when I'm with Gabe, too."

Dean glared at him. "Are you saying I become one of those old ladies that substitute human contact for _cats_?"

Gabriel smirked. "And that mental image is being stored away, too."

"Shut up, Gabriel!"

"Come on, Dean, it wouldn't hurt. And besides, it _is_ kind of cute." Sam tried to diffuse the situation, and sent Gabriel a glare that plainly said '_If you want to win him over quit pissing him off!_'

"Yeah, and like you said, he hates me every bit as much as you do!" Gabriel practically beamed.

"Sam, it's somebody's pet!" Dean finally said, pointing at the collar.

"I went to take it back and the house was all run-down! I couldn't just leave him!" Gabriel argued back.

Dean glanced from one insistent face to the other. He couldn't help but feel Gabriel had something horrible planned, but that could be because he thought _everything_ the archangel did had some sort of ulterior motive behind it. And, to be fair, most of the time he was proved right. His gaze finally slid to the kitten in Gabriel's hands. It was still wriggling, desperate to escape from the archangel's gasp, blue eyes fixed on Gabriel's fingers. Turning back to Sam was a big mistake; his brother had pulled out the Puppy Eyes.

Dean groaned, flopped down on his bed and turned away from them. "_Fine_."

Sam noticed a grin seeping onto Gabriel's face, before he crossed the room and dropped the kitten onto the bed beside Dean. The hunter jumped and whirled around, his fury evident in his eyes.

"What the _hell_?! It's _your_ pet, so it goes in _your_ room!"

"And the second he stops trying to bite me, I'll gladly accept him. Until then, he has to stay with you."

Dean opened his mouth to protest but with a snap of his fingers, both Sam and Gabriel vanished. For a moment, he just sat there, facing the spot where Gabriel had just been. Then, with a snarl of, "Fucking _archangel_," he slumped back down onto his bed. He didn't have the energy for dealing with Gabriel right now. He'd get some sleep, and then he'd sort everything out in the morning.

He was just dropping off when he felt something wet and furry nudging his hand. He glanced up and saw the kitten staring directly at him, its head tilted at _exactly_ the same angle as Castiel so often did. Remembering his earlier conversation with the angel, Dean was once more consumed with guilt, and he hastily turned away from the cat's gaze. He could still feel it watching him, though, and firmly nudged it off the side of his bed.

"You're Gabriel's pet, not mine. So absolutely no sharing my bed." He grumbled sleepily, and turned away.

Castiel continued to stare up at Dean's sleeping form for a long time. He was more confused than he had ever been before, and anger was still bubbling away inside him.

The last thing he could remember was Gabriel snapping his fingers, and the next thing he knew, he was stuck in a baby cat's vessel, being presented by his older brother like some sort of prize. He had already tried several times to tap into his Grace, but it seemed that Gabriel had locked it away. His only option, therefore, was to convince Sam or Dean of who he truly was, and hope they would be able to convince Gabriel into turning him back to normal.

Castiel shivered. Being unable to access his Grace had meant that, unlike Gabriel, he was unprotected from the downpour outside. And as his new form's body was so tiny, it didn't take a lot to make him freezing. He padded around on the floor, looking for an ideal place to curl up and keep warm. After a few minutes' searching, Castiel found Dean's discarded jacket. It smelt so strongly of the hunter, Castiel couldn't resist curling up inside it. Within moments, he was asleep, the smell and feel of Dean surrounding him like a blanket.

* * *

I know the kitty!Cas thing has been done to death, but I've never written one, so I wanted to give it a go xD

Also, how made for Cas is this song? o_o Seriously!


	4. Say You Like Me

'_Cos I'm never going down_

_I'm never giving up_

_I'm never gonna leave so put your hands up_

_If you like me_

_Then say you like me_

Thankfully, Gabriel let Dean sleep without any weird visits to his dreams and he awoke in a much better mood than he had the previous morning. The storm had blown itself out overnight to be replaced with almost stifling heat, filling his motel room with blazing early morning sunshine. He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes free from sleep, and that was when he spotted the kitten.

It was curled up in a tight ball of black fuzz, ears lying flat against its head, nose and whiskers twitching as it continued to dream. There were two splashes of snowy white set against into its back by its shoulders, almost like wings. It was nestled comfortably inside his jacket, the sleeve serving as a pillow with part of the material draped over its lower back. Then, almost as if it sensed it was being watched, its eyes slid open and it met Dean's gaze with those piercing blues. And for a moment, it deeply unnerved him. He had only ever seen that shade of cerulean once before, and right now thinking of Castiel wasn't exactly fun.

He broke eye contact with the kitten almost immediately after that, swinging his legs out of the other side of the bed and crossing the room to hammer his fist on the adjoining wall.

"OI! GET THE HELL UP AND COME KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR NEW PET!"

Gabriel's furious voice replied instantly, even louder than Dean's. "WHAT THE _FUCK_, WINCHESTER?! YOU JUST RUINED MORNING SEX!"

Dean cringed. "DUDE! I DON'T NEED TO HEAR THAT!"

"YOU ALSO DON'T NEED TO KEEP BELLOWING AT ONE ANOTHER!" Sam had joined the early morning fight too, although he sounded further away than Gabriel. "BUT HEY, YOU TWO JUST WON'T STOP, WILL YOU?!"

"SHUT IT, BITCH!"

"YEAH, STAY OUT OF THIS, SAMMY!"

"I NEED TO GO OUT! WILL ONE OF YOU COME AND TAKE CARE OF THIS DAMN CAT?!" Dean yelled, trying to get the argument back on track.

"SAMMY'S A LITTLE TIED UP RIGHT NOW, IF YOU CATCH MY DRIFT!"

"_GABRIEL_!"

"OH GOD, WHY?! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO SAY _THAT_?!" Dean shrieked as Gabriel's cackling reached his ears.

"BECAUSE IT'S TRUE!"

"IT'S _NOT_! JESUS, DEAN, WE'LL BE RIGHT THERE!" He heard Sam roar. There was a loud thump which Dean was certain was Sam throwing something at the archangel, before everything on the other side of the wall went silent.

Dean turned away, trying to rid himself from _that_ particular mental scar, only to find the kitten standing on his bed, staring right at him. Its head was cocked at an all-too familiar angle, and that combined with the blue of its eyes sent an icy cold shiver slipping down his spine. He couldn't help but be reminded so strongly of Castiel, that he was transported straight back to that fateful drive in the Impala. That had been the last time he'd seen or heard from the angel, and although he wanted to see just why Cas had up and vanished so quickly, he _couldn't_ face the angel just yet.

"Quit watching me." He snapped angrily.

To his immense surprise, the kitten started, and then quite deliberately cast its head down, ears flattening against its head and tail wrapping almost protectively around its legs. Dean stared at it, transfixed. Was this normal cat behaviour? He didn't think so. But he'd never had a pet before, and it wasn't like he could just ask someone. '_Hey, kind of random question here, but do kittens look guilty and deliberately look away if you snap at them to quit staring at you?_' Yeah. He could just imagine how _well_ that would go.

He knew that Sam and Gabriel, despite Sam's reassurances, would still take a while to arrive so shook his head, dispelling all thoughts of the kitten and grabbed his duffel bag before filing into the bathroom. He showered and dressed quickly, already feeling traces of guilt begin to creep up on him as he thought about what he was planning to do. He knew that Sam would be heartbroken about having to give the cat up and Gabriel would be pissed, but Dean wasn't concerned about the archangel. In their line of work, it just wasn't a practical idea to keep a pet, so the best thing to do was try and get rid of it in the most humane way possible. He knew that Sam would understand that eventually.

As Dean left the bathroom, the first thing he spotted was the kitten sitting almost exactly where he'd left it. It had obviously been watching the bathroom door, as if it was waiting for him to reappear, but the second he had, it immediately cast its vision back to the mattress once more. Dropping the duffel at his feet, he crossed the room and slid his fingers through the cat's soft and now dry fur, guilt doubling. It was quick to respond; pressing its tiny body into the touch and purring softly. Dean sighed, and almost came around to the idea of keeping it. Almost.

"Sorry, buddy." He said quietly, still stroking the kitten's sleek fur and feeling slightly smug when it visibly relaxed; the polar opposite to its violent assault on Gabriel's hands the previous evening. "You can't stay with us, though."

At his words, the kitten stopped purring and stepped backwards away from his hand, and stared straight into his eyes; blue melting into green. It meowed loudly, as if in desperate protest, and when Dean reached out to try and quiet it down, it just continued to back away meowing at a similar volume. Castiel was trying frantically to communicate, to tell Dean just who he was and that they _couldn't_ get rid of him in this body, but all that flowed from his mouth when he opened it was a pitiful little sound. No matter how many times he tried, he couldn't formulate his words into English.

An irritated knocking on the door brought Dean crashing out the trance he'd slipped into, and he tore his gaze away from the kitten. He wrenched the door open, grabbing the Impala's keys as he passed, and didn't say a word to the irate archangel on the doorstep, just swept straight past him. He heard Sam calling his name behind him, but he didn't turn. He just knew that if he stopped, the two of them would somehow twist his arm into keeping the kitten, and he didn't want to let that happen. He _couldn't_ let it happen.

Gabriel watched Dean go alongside Sam, the annoyed frown turning into a small grin. If Dean thought it was going to _that_ easy to trick a Trickster, he sure had a lot to learn. He didn't have to read Dean's mind to know what the hunter was planning; his elusive behaviour was practically screaming his plan to the heavens. Gabriel rolled his eyes and shook his head as the Impala tore out of the car park with a screech, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Much to learn, this young one has." He whispered quietly to himself.

Sam didn't seem to hear him. Muttering something about Dean himself, Sam strode past Gabriel and entered his brother's motel room. The first thing he spotted was the kitten. It was perched on Dean's un-made bed, facing the door. The second it spotted Sam, it leapt down from the mattress and ran to him, yowling. He bent down to stroke it, trying to calm it down, but it didn't work. It just kept meowing over and over, as if it were trying to talk to him.

"What's wrong with you?" Sam asked, concern flooding his voice as the kitten continued to stare at him directly in the eye, wailing.

"I'm pissed off with Deano for interrupting us, thanks for asking." Gabriel said as he finally followed Sam inside, closing the door behind him.

Sam opened his mouth to tell his boyfriend to quit whining especially as he'd joined Sam for a 'shower' straight after Dean's wake-up call, but he was interrupted by the kitten. It darted around him and tore across the carpet to Gabriel, hissing and spitting all the way. He stared down at it with a beaming smile on his face, hands still buried deep in the pockets of his jacket. Then he bent down as Sam had done.

"Awwh, who's a cute little fluffy kitty?" He sneered. As if in response, the kitten hissed and slashed through the air, aiming at his face, but he was too far away to reach.

"Jeez, it really doesn't like you, does it?" Sam asked, also watching the kitten's strange shift in behaviour. "I mean, I'd understand why if it knew you and what you're like, but you just found it last night."

At that, the smirk was wiped from Gabriel's face and he met Sam's eye with a frown. "Watch it, Winchester. Another remark like that and _I'm_ withholding sex."

Sam laughed. "Really? You're using that on _me_?"

"Like you can resist me for long."

"Oh, I dunno Gabe; I did a pretty good job for a while. I'm pretty sure I can do it again."

"Ah, but that was before you actually experienced me." Gabriel replied, smirking. Then, without warning, he bent down and scooped the kitten up into his hands. It wriggled violently, attempting to scratch and bite whatever parts of him it could reach, hissing all the while.

"It really _does_ hate you, doesn't it?" Sam asked, stunned.

"Ah, he's just on his period." Gabriel said, and to Sam's surprise, the kitten paused in its attempts to maul the archangel's hands to tilt its head. At this, Gabriel sniggered. "It's a _joke_! Jeez, I've _really_ got to teach you human quirks some time.."

"You're going to teach that to a cat..?" Sam asked in disbelief.

"Why don't you take a closer look at this _cat_, Sammy?" Gabriel said, lifting the kitten up so that Sam could look it directly in the eye. "Pay particular attention to those big ol' blues. Remind you of anyone?"

Amazingly, the cat stopped all movements and stared intently at Sam, almost as if it had understood what Gabriel had been saying. Slightly unnerved, Sam leant forwards and gazed directly into the cat's eyes. They were big and gleaming, bluer than anything he'd seen before. Actually, a little _too_ blue. He frowned, tilting his head slightly, eyebrows furrowing. There was a peculiar light shining deep within the kitten's eyes, almost electric in its illumination. Slowly, Sam's gaze slid to Gabriel's. The archangel's eyes were the shade of honey he'd come to adore, with swirls of caramel, bronze and amber. But _there_, deep within, if he stared long enough, he could just make out the exact same spark.

"Oh my God." He muttered, falling onto his backside, hand coming up to push his hair out of his face. "Gabe.. Is that.. Is that _Cas_?"

Before the archangel could open his mouth, the kitten yowled loudly and began to wriggle again. Gabriel scowled at it, and gave it a little shake. "Hey! He asked me, not you! That's rude! Besides, he can't understand you, mutton-head."

"You turned Cas into a _kitten_?" Sam cried in disbelief. "_Why_?"

"I told you Sammy, I had to up the ante." Gabriel replied, finally putting the kitten – _Castiel_, Sam mentally scolded himself – back on the floor.

"And you thought the best way of doing that was to turn him into a _cat_?!"

Gabriel shrugged. "Why not? You gotta admit, he makes a cute kitten." At this, Castiel turned and gave Gabriel a withering glare that he snorted with laughter at, and gestured to Sam. "See? He's adorable!"

"Why a cat, Gabriel?"

"Look, I just needed something that would mean Cassie could still hang around with Deano, but not be able to come running whenever he gives the order." Gabriel said, voice getting colder with every word. "I just want him to realise that he's been taking Castiel for granted, and then he'll appreciate everything Castiel sacrifices for him more than he does now."

Sam paused, before sighing in defeat. Castiel had padded over to him while he'd been silent, and he absent-mindedly began to scratch behind his ears. "Alright, I guess I'm in. What's the plan, then?"

* * *

Dean finally returned an hour or so later in a horrific mood. He'd driven to the nearest animal shelter – which had been a good hour away – only to find a sign plastered to the door informing him that there had been an outbreak of some sort of viral infection. It went on to say that all the animals had been shipped off to the next nearest facility – two states over. He had then driven all around town where Gabriel had mentioned finding the kitten, but there were no missing posters anywhere. Defeated, he'd seen no other choice but to return to the motel.

When he stormed in, Sam and Gabriel were both sat at the table. Sam was on his laptop once again and Gabriel was reclining in the seat beside him, feet perched on the tabletop, eyes on the ceiling. Before he could say a word, Dean felt something by his leg and glanced down. The kitten was winding its way through his legs, meowing, almost as if welcoming him back. As it turned its neck, Dean spotted the flash of silver of its collar and an idea sprung to mind.

"Hey Sammy, did you try calling the number on the cat's collar today?" He asked, bending down to pick the kitten up by the scruff of its neck. It hung obediently still and silent, watching him carefully.

"Nope." Sam replied, not even glancing up from the laptop. "Didn't see the point, seeing as Gabe went to its house and all."

"Yeah Deano, I told you. It was abandoned. Looked like there'd been a fire or something." Gabriel piped up, tipping back even further on his chair.

"Well, I'm gonna go and see for myself. Where was it?"

"I'll show you." Gabriel offered, falling forwards and making the chair land back on all four legs with a loud bang. "Anything to get out of here when Sammy's researching. It's so _boring_."

Dean tried to object, threw every excuse he had at the archangel and even bluntly said he didn't want Gabriel to come, but he was insistent. And when Sam snapped that if Dean didn't take Gabriel and go, he was going to throw a full-scale bitch-faced hissy fit, Dean didn't really have a choice. So there he was, back in his baby, stuck with the very person he'd vowed never to let inside the car.

"I swear Gabriel, if you touch _anything_.."

"You'll rip my lungs out?" Gabriel tried, grinning when Dean scowled. "Relax, Deano. I won't do anything to annoy you, I swear."

"I find that hard to believe." Dean muttered under his breath as he reversed out of the car park again.

"You love me really."

"As much as I love syphilis."

Gabriel pulled a face. "That was harsh."

"It was true."

A tense silence descended upon them and neither spoke, apart from when Gabriel had to give Dean a direction. A few minutes later, just as they had turned into a residential street, Gabriel pointed at a building set a little way apart from the others. Dean pulled the Impala over to the opposite side of the road, and studied the house Gabriel had indicated to. There was barely anything left of it, just a tangle of blackened shapes set into the ground. It was a total eyesore, and the smell of damp and rotting wood penetrated the exterior of the car. There was no chance that anybody was living there at the moment, but it was still possible the owner of the house had survived, or had relatives willing to accept the kitten.

"Stay there, alright?" Dean ordered, turning around to glare at Gabriel. The archangel gave a mock salute and settled into his seat, but flipped Dean the finger when the hunter's back was turned. Dean didn't notice; he was too busy rummaging through the box of fake ID's, trying to find one that he could combine with his jeans and jacket attire.

"I can help you out, you know." Gabriel spoke in a sing-song voice.

"Yeah, but the day I ask you for help is the day I die." Dean spat, continuing to search.

"You wound me, Deano."

"You're pissing me off, Gabriel." The next second, he heard the archangel snapping his fingers; a sound that could automatically raise his hackles. He spun around in his seat, and snarled, "I told you not to do anything!"

Gabriel scowled and gestured towards Dean's chest. "You're _welcome_."

The hunter looked down, and started. He was kitted out in his suit, and a quick inspection in the backseat told him Gabriel had zapped his previous outfit there. He felt humiliation burning in his gut, and could only mutter, "Oh."

"Maybe you should try listening, Dean." Gabriel snapped, turning away. "You never know what somebody might tell you if you just stop and _listened_ to them for a change. Might be shocked to find not everyone behaves the way you assume they will."

Dean didn't respond, just grabbed one of the FBI badges and stormed out of the car. He wasn't sure what his story was going to be once he got to the door of the derelict ruin's neighbour, but figured he'd just spin some story off the top of his head. He'd been at this for too long not to be a pretty decent liar.

An elderly man answered, and after announcing that he was investigating the bizarre circumstances of what had caused the fire, he quickly discovered that the woman who had owned the ruined house had perished. He had then informed Dean that she'd been somewhat of a recluse when she was alive, and had no living relatives that he knew of. Trying to hide the disappointment in his face, Dean thanked him and left.

By the time he returned to the Impala, Gabriel's bad mood seemed to have blown over because he was greeted with a smirk. "No luck? Oh well, guess that just means ol' Bright Eyes is yours now."

And the only thing Dean could snap in response was, "We are _not_ calling it that."

If the kitten really _was_ going to stay with them, there was no way in Hell he was going to name it anything in reference to those eyes; they were far too familiar for his liking. Gabriel seemed to read his mind if the grin inking onto his face was anything to go by, but Dean just blocked him out. He just wasn't in the mood to deal with Gabriel right now, especially as his mind kept wandering back to another set of bright, sapphire-coloured eyes.


	5. Coming Back To Life

_Lost in thought and lost in time_

_While the seeds of life and the seeds of change were planted_

_Outside the rain fell dark and slow_

_While I pondered on this dangerous but irresistible pastime_

_I took a heavenly ride through our silence_

_I knew the moment had arrived_

_For killing the past and coming back to life_

As the rest of the week began to unfold, it became increasingly obvious to Dean that he had upset Castiel more than he thought.

It first happened when he tried calling the angel to ask for help on tracking down the vampires they were hunting. He'd waited for a good few minutes, ears straining for the slightest flap of wings, but Castiel didn't show. Dean didn't really find it that surprising as it was work they could do themselves; they would just have to find the nest on their own, it wasn't like it was a big deal or anything. But the penny dropped with a horrible clang two days later when they'd actually mounted an attack on the vampires at an old warehouse in the middle of nowhere.

Sam had long since disappeared to a higher level of the building flanked by Gabriel, and Dean could hear the sounds of their scuffles above his head. There were more vampires squatting in the warehouse than they'd bargained for, and pretty soon Dean found himself surrounded by a small knot of grinning fanged freaks, the stink of blood filling his nostrils from the ones he'd slain already. One woman with a particularly hungry glint in her cold eyes launched forwards unexpectantly, but he sidestepped her and sliced her head clean off as he had so many times before.

She fell to the floor and her head rolled off into a dark corner somewhere. Dean turned to the remaining circle; they watched him as a predator would watch its prey, smirks spreading across all of their faces. He could take them all one at a time, sure, but there were still five against one, and he was getting tired. His clothes were splattered with blood, and his arm muscles were screaming in protest. Above his head he could hear the piercing screams of another of Gabriel's burnt-out victims, and decided that this time, he needed angelic assistance himself.

"Cas, I could do with a little back-up here." He called, not taking his eyes off the smiling faces around him.

But once more, there was no answer. He tried again, narrowly dodging a lunge from another of the remaining vampires but there was no flapping of wings, no blinding light as the angel appeared and got straight to work. Nothing but cold silence and smug snickers from his circle of vampires replied to his calls. He felt his mouth go dry, but he didn't let the prickling fear show on his face. Instead, he raised the blade and poised on the balls of his feet, glaring icily at the monsters before him. He'd been in worse scrapes before and he was still alive and kicking, after all.

"I don't think angel-boy's answering." One of the male vampires said, bearing his horrible elongated fangs.

"Well then, it's a good thing Cassie's not the only 'angel-boy' Deano has with him." The sound of Gabriel's voice rang out from the gloom before Dean even had a chance to open his mouth.

Dean spun on his heel just as the first illumination of blinding light shone out from behind him, filling the room with the agonised screaming of the poor bastard that had been nearest. The vampires were now backing away hurriedly, knowing they stood no chance whatsoever against an archangel's power, but neither Gabriel nor Dean would allow them to escape so easily. Gabriel's raw angelic powers combined with Dean's furious slicing with the blade left the remaining vampires sprawled on the floor in a matter of minutes.

"That was close, huh Deano?" Gabriel asked, discreetly kicking away a headless corpse as he began to approach. "Lucky I decided to come check on you, wasn't it?"

Dean however, just turned and stormed out of the building, not saying a word. Gabriel watched him closely as he left, the corners of his mouth beginning to quirk upwards in a smirk. Sam, hearing the abrupt silence beneath him, suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs. Dean was nowhere to be seen; Gabriel stood alone, facing the door amidst the blood and bodies.

"Gabe? Where's Dean?" Sam asked, concern starting to creep up on him, eyes sweeping left and right for any sign of his brother.

"Don't panic Samsquatch. He's fine. I think he's just shocked that Cassie didn't drop everything and appear, asking how high he'd have to jump _this_ time. It's a shock to his system."

Sam rolled his eyes and descended the stairs. "Do you think you could tone down the bitching at him, just a little bit?"

Gabriel looked mildly affronted at the very suggestion. "No. He deserves much worse. I know a lot worse ways in which I could give him his just desserts. For what I've been thinking, this is the friendliest option."

"I'm not saying stop the whole plan with Cas," Sam clarified, seeing the anger flash in his boyfriend's eyes. "I'm just asking you to stop making these snide little comments about him behind his back. That's all."

"You want me to say them to his face instead?"

"_No_, Gabriel. Don't you dare." Sam replied, tone serious.

"Don't dare _me_, Sam." Gabriel said before he vanished.

Sam sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He loved Gabriel, he really did, but sometimes it was like dealing with a five year old. He just knew that the archangel was either waiting in their motel room or in some random place on the planet, sulky expression on his face. It would take him a while for his bad mood to blow itself over but hey, whenever it did, Sam knew from experience that the make-up sex was phenomenal. Unable to prevent the smirk sliding onto his face at that thought, he too left the warehouse.

Dean was leant against the hood of the Impala, arms folded tightly over his chest, back to the building. His head was tilted towards the sky, almost as if he were searching for something. Sam's smirk grew marginally. Both he and Gabriel had heard Dean calling for Castiel, but obviously the angel hadn't been able to show. Sam knew the progress with Dean was going to slow and painful, but he was confident that eventually, they'd reach a stage where even _he_ couldn't deny his feelings for the angel in question. So, for the meantime, he'd step slowly and carefully.

"Something wrong?" Sam asked as he approached.

Dean started, and abruptly turned away from the heavens and faced Sam instead. "Nah, nothing. Where's Gabriel?"

Sam shrugged. "Who knows? Probably back at the motel."

"And he didn't take you with him? You guys fighting or something?"

"Nah." Sam shook his head. "He's just being Gabriel."

Dean seemed to accept that explanation because with a mutter of 'Figures,' he heaved himself off the car and got in. Sam dropped his own bloodied blade in the Impala's hidden compartment before he followed suit. They started off the drive back in silence; Dean kept sneaking glances skywards when he thought Sam couldn't see, and the younger Winchester responded by choosing to ignore the quick glimpses.

But halfway to the motel, an invisible dam inside Dean seemed to burst, and out flowed an irate rant about Castiel, how he hadn't shown up, how he couldn't spare just a few _moments_ of his precious time, how Dean felt physically sick about owing Gabriel for his help; on and on it went. Sam was thankful to finally say goodbye to Dean when they reached their rooms. He'd take a moody archangel giving him the silent treatment over spending time with the current proverbial storm cloud that was his older brother _any_ day, thank you very much.

However, as Dean was storming into his own room, Sam felt a stab of guilt. His brother was still grumbling about Castiel and his failure to arrive in time to help, and Sam knew precisely who would be forced to listen to said bitching now. As Sam let himself into his room, he silently prayed that on this occasion Gabriel's wild schemes would actually work, and not end up just hurting everyone even more.

* * *

Over the rest of the week, Dean called for Castiel twice more, but obviously the angel still didn't show up. The second occasion had been particularly difficult to watch for Sam. Dean had been pacing up and down their new motel room, trying to figure out what it was they were hunting this time, and Gabriel was off running his own errands so it wasn't like Sam could just ask him.

The kitten followed every pace Dean made, almost as if it were glued to the sides of his feet, staring up at him and meowing occasionally. And when Dean prayed to Castiel for help, the angelic ball of fuzz had gone ballistic, desperate in his attempts to tell Dean that he was _right there_. Sam had very nearly cracked and told Dean what Gabriel had done.

Anything was easier than seeing _that_.

But Dean took the choice off his shoulders before he even had a chance to open his mouth. With a snarl of '_Fucking angels_', Dean grabbed the keys to the Impala and took off, slamming the door behind him. Sam remained sat at the table, rubbing his face with his hands in frustration, while Castiel stood stock still, watching the door with intensity only present in angels.

"He'll come around, Cas." Sam said, closing his laptop with a sigh. "We just have to wait it out. Gabriel said the spell will reverse itself when Dean starts admitting _why_ he wants you around so bad. And I know it's got jack shit to do with this case, okay? He's worried about you. I _know_ that. We just have to wait until he chooses to admit it."

At his words, Castiel's ears slumped onto the back of his head and he lowered his body down to the floor, still watching the door. Sam sighed as he sat back in his seat, eyes fixed on the tiny ball of black fluff. Gabriel had explained the dynamics of his plan eagerly the moment they were alone, and had said that the second they managed to worm a confession out of Dean, Castiel would be instantly restored to his former glory. Sam had then asked what would happen if Dean flat out denied any such feelings and refused point blank to admit anything, and Gabriel had quietly replied that Castiel would be stuck as a kitten. The spell only had one counter-curse, he'd said, and didn't that just fill Sam with dread.

He knew better than anyone what Dean was like. Despite the fact that everybody had informed him of his 'blatant' feelings towards a certain blue-eyed angel, on every single occasion Dean simply refused to see what they saw. Personally, Sam believed that Dean didn't think he deserved the love of an angel; he himself had been down that road before with Gabriel. But, as the archangel had pointed out, it was _his_ choice and he _wanted_ to be with Sam, regardless of what the hunter had done. And it was the same with Castiel. Dean just had to realise that. And eventually, he would.

Sam just wasn't sure how long that would take.

* * *

By the following week, things had almost returned to some form of normality. They had slain what turned out to be a particularly nasty wraith without angelic assistance, and then moved on. Despite Dean having vowed to himself to never again let Gabriel pick their motels, the archangel had snapped himself and Sam off to their next hunt, which he had apparently discovered the previous week during his absence. That left Dean stuck driving there alone after Sam text him the address, because there was no way on earth he'd call on Castiel for company especially after the disastrous journey that had left the angel seemingly ignoring him.

Well, he wasn't _completely_ alone. At first, as he packed up his belongings in his room, grumbling about Gabriel and just how Sam could see through the annoying layers to the angel beneath, he'd debated leaving the kitten behind. As he'd said when Gabriel had first turned up with it, in their line of work they couldn't exactly be hauling around a pet. It was too much responsibility, and there was a pretty high chance of them dying each time they faced a new enemy. But despite that, Dean had still scooped it up and carried it outside with him. He refused to admit it had grown on him somewhat, and if Sam ever asked, the kitten was only sleeping on his bed now because he didn't want to risk it puking up hairballs into his jacket.

"Scratch up the upholstery, cat, and I'll kick you out of the car. Then you can fend for yourself." Dean had told it sternly, before placing it on the passenger seat. And he was a little shocked when the kitten very deliberately sat down and made sure to retract all of its claws. Once again, Dean had to wonder to himself whether it was normal behaviour, but didn't dwell on it.

An hour into the drive saw everything going relatively well. Dean had dug his old tapes out again and was relieved to discover they hadn't yet been mangled by their resident archangel. They played loudly as he drove, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel and singing along to his favourites. The kitten had sat frozen like a statue the entire time, and had only blinked a handful of times. In all honesty, it was starting to freak Dean out a little bit. The way it just sat there, staring straight ahead, not blinking. Almost like..

He shook himself. No, he was _not_ going to spend this time thinking about Castiel, dammit! He'd been doing little else ever since the angel had vanished all that time ago, and along with those thoughts came yet more crushing guilt. But hey, it was a two-way street, and Castiel hadn't bothered to get in contact with him. Why should go out of his way to call the angel?

'_Because it's kinda your fault he's gone in the first place?_' A little voice in the back of his head reminded him, but he ignored it by notching up the volume and checking his phone. Sam said he'd let Dean know as soon as he and Gabriel had made some headway into the case, which they were supposed to start working on the moment they hit town. But his phone was blank.

"Typical." He muttered darkly. "They went on ahead to start early my ass. I know that's just code for 'having uninterrupted sex', isn't it Gabriel?"

And really, he should have known better by now.

The moment the words were out of his mouth, the music suddenly stopped to be replaced with an all-too familiar piano note. Dean groaned and sank down into his seat a little further, already feeling the beginnings of a headache. Beside him, Castiel suddenly jerked out of his reverie as the change in music genre hit his sensitive ears. He turned to face the radio as the song he remembered from his last time in the Impala played softly through the speakers. He allowed his eyes to close as he listened to the soft singing and the piano notes, when another noise alerted his attention.

A dejected sigh coming from his right.

Castiel turned to face Dean, his head tipping sideways and his ears flattening out at the back of his head. The hunter was still sitting slumped in his seat, but a rather sad expression had taken over from the annoyance of a few moments before. He sat in silence as the song continued to play, and sighed again once it finished. When his normal music returned, he neither sat up, nor continued humming along. Instead, his eyes flicked from the road to the sky and then back again. Then, after drawing a deep breath, he began to speak.

"Okay Cas, I know you can hear me even though you're not replying. And I guess this is the only time I can say something without Sammy or that puny brother of yours listening in, so here goes." He paused, before continuing. "I'm sorry, alright? I shouldn't have snapped at you. It wasn't your fault Gabriel's a dick. I was just in a really bad mood, and he wasn't helping. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, and fuck, that wasn't your fault either. Gabriel forced you into being there." He groaned again. "I'm sorry, okay Cas?"

Castiel tried to speak, tried to tell Dean that of _course_ he was forgiven and that everything was alright. But nothing came out apart from another meow. Dean twitched, seeming to have forgotten about the kitten even being in the car with him, before reaching across and scratching it on its back by the white splashes of fur. It was a habit he'd picked up recently after coming back to the motel and having the kitten bound up to greet him. And it seemed to really enjoy it, as it did now. It instantly relaxed into the seat, purring.

So despite the fact that Castiel had ignored him once again, Dean felt a smile quirking at the corners of his mouth. And not for the first time, he was glad he'd failed in his attempts to get rid of the furry thing.

* * *

Dean's vaguely positive mood vanished in five seconds flat after getting to the motel and starting research. It was plain they were dealing with a group of demons, but they were having difficulties pinpointing just where the damn things were congregating. Castiel was lying on Dean's bed, watching as the two hunters pored over maps of the town and argued about possible hideouts, his ears bent back on his head. He could feel Dean's agitation bubbling only just beneath the surface, and knew from experience that he was one step short of blowing his top.

What really wasn't helping Dean's temper was Gabriel. The archangel was sat in the corner of the room, playing with a cat's cradle. From his perch on the bed, Castiel could see the hunter shooting venomous glares across the room every few minutes, but Gabriel remained oblivious, even humming happily to himself. And it was probably this noise that finally sent Dean over the edge.

"You could just tell us where they are, Gabriel!" He shouted, throwing down the book he'd been staring at for several minutes.

"Yep, that's true." The archangel replied, not even glancing up from the string twining his fingers.

Dean ground his teeth together and ignored Sam's hiss telling him to calm down. "Do you think you get off your ass and _help_, then?!"

"Awh, what's wrong, Deano?" Gabriel asked, finally looking up and fixing Dean with an expression every bit as patronising as his tone, slipping the cat's cradle into his pocket. "You all stressed now that Cassie isn't answering your every beck and call?"

"This is nothing to do with Cas! Leave him out of this!" Dean snapped.

"Ooh, did I touch a nerve? Sorry Deano, you're not fooling me. I can read you like a book."

Dean breathed hard through his nose, and Sam used the opportunity to slip out of the room. He, like Castiel, could see nothing but a blazing row on the horizon. Dean and Gabriel's relationship had always been a stressful one, built on great dislike for the other. They only tolerated each other for Sam's sake, but every once in a while, it was easier just to let them yell it out. So that's what he was doing.

"I told you, leave Cas out of it. This has nothing to do with him."

"This has _everything_ to do with him, actually. Now I'm sorry he's not worshipping the ground you walk on anymore, _truly_, but -"

"He's not here because _you_ pissed me off! If you'd just stayed the fuck out of it, he'd be here!"

"What?" Gabriel asked, his voice suddenly dark and _pissed_.

"You heard me." Dean snarled, ignoring the obvious warning signs like he always did and ploughing straight on. "If you'd just stayed the fuck out of stuff that doesn't concern you in the slightest, Cas wouldn't be blanking me right now! It's your fault he's pissed!"

"Oh _forgive_ me, Dean!" Gabriel cried, voice practically dripping sarcasm. "I beg you, almighty Dean Winchester, forgive me for showing him how to stand on his own two feet!"

"Ooh, did I touch a nerve?" Dean repeated Gabriel's words to him, relishing the flash of fury that appeared in the archangel's eyes. He instantly regretted it though, when he was flung backwards and pinned to the motel wall.

"You have no _idea_, do you? This is what you do, all the damn time. The mouth opens before the brain has time to engage itself." Gabriel spat, practically breathing fire, the lights around the room going haywire. "That is _exactly_ what you did to Castiel. Before you could even _think_ about what it was you were saying, it was too late! And don't you _dare_ say that was down to me, Winchester, because I seem to recall plenty of other instances when you were less than understanding of my brother without _any_ interference from me. And yet, every single damn time, he forgave you for _everything_. The one time he doesn't drop everything after the way you treat him, you throw a tantrum! You _deserve_ this, Winchester. You _deserve_ Castiel to be gone, because all you can do is take him for granted! You don't _care_ about him any more than you care for me! And if," He said sharply as Dean opened his mouth, "that is untrue, _start acting like it._ Or you'll hear from me again, and next time, Sam's brother or not, I won't be so polite."

And with his words still ringing in the air, he vanished. Dean tumbled to the floor, where he stayed. Most of the light bulbs had burst during Gabriel's rant, and the glass lay in jagged edges on the carpet. From across the room, there was a gentle thump and a few moments later, something soft and furry nuzzled against his hand. Absent-mindedly, Dean began to stroke the kitten as it continued to nose itself underneath his palm. He could feel it shaking slightly beneath his fingertips, and lifted it into his lap where he continued to fuss it. It curled up against his chest, and it felt like a pleasant, warm weight; comforting after what had just happened.

There was a moment of silence as Gabriel's words continued to echo around Dean's mind, making his stomach churn horribly. Everything that Gabriel had said, Dean had found himself thinking at some point or other since Castiel's disappearance. Hearing that damn '_A Thousand Years_' song had brought everything he'd been trying to repress back, and his resolve had broken enough to apologise. But, plainly, that hadn't been enough.

"He's right, isn't he?" Dean asked, looking down at the top of the kitten's head.

It turned to look at him, and just like every time he saw that intense blue, he felt winded and strangely hollow, especially after Gabriel's rant. The longer he kept the gaze, the worse he felt, so he gently pushed the kitten off his lap and stood, bringing out his phone and dialling Sam's number. His brother answered relatively quickly, sounding relieved that the fight hadn't resulted in one killing the other.

"Sammy, I'm going out for a drink. Your boyfriend's destroyed all the lights over here, so can you come pick the cat up? Thanks."

And then, without a backwards glance, Dean left.

* * *

**Author's Note:** The lyrics from the song at the start of this chapter is by Pink Floyd and it's called Coming Back To Life. And if you've never heard it, I highly, HIGHLY recommend you rectify that. It's a wonderful song ^^

Anyhow, only two more chapters of this to go! I bet some of you can see where this is going.. xP


	6. A Thousand Years

_Heart beats fast, colours and promises_

_How to be brave_

_How can I love when I'm afraid to fall?_

_But watching you stand alone_

_All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow_

_One step closer_

_I have died every day waiting for you_

_Darling don't be afraid_

_I have loved you for a thousand years_

_I'll love you for a thousand more_

Sam waited until he heard the rumble of the Impala's engine growing faint before he left his room and strolled to Dean's. He wasn't sure how badly damaged he expected the room to be when he got there, only that the definite lack of archangel and Dean's abrupt exit rang alarm bells. He hoped it was just paranoia on his part, but deep down, he knew it wasn't and that he had every right to be concerned. Dean had turned opening his mouth before his brain had a chance to catch up into an art form, and Gabriel wasn't exactly the most patient of people.

When he reached the room, he swore quietly under his breath and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Through the window, he could see nothing but inky darkness, which could only mean Gabriel had blown the lights just like Dean had said. The glass he was currently looking through was also cracked, and unless he was imagining it, there was a definite indentation in one of the walls. And quite honestly, he didn't want to know how it had got there, although he felt quite certain he already had a pretty good idea. It didn't take a genius to work it out, after all.

Dean had left the door on the latch, so Sam gave it a gentle push. It swung open with a mild creak, and two bright blue eyes blinked at him out the darkness the moment the light from outside swept in. Barely supressing a sigh, Sam trudged into the room, not bothering to close the door behind him. Castiel was sitting just beneath the impression in the wall, a spider web of cracks weaving their way through the plaster. Little flakes littered the floor around his fluffy body, and particles of dust had settled in his dark fur.

"Come on. We better go get him before he drains the bar." Sam said, inclining his head towards the door. Castiel tipped his head to the side in reply, and didn't move. Sam heaved a fake sigh, and turned on his heel, heading back to the door alone. "Fine, but don't blame me when he brings a random girl back here. And I'll probably be calming Gabe down, so I doubt you'll wanna be _my_ room."

With a very disgruntled-sounding meow, there was a padding of paws on the carpet before Castiel was by his side. Sam couldn't help but grin; he could get used to having someone around that actually _listened_ to him. The sex-ban threat usually worked with Gabriel, but the archangel knew far too many of his buttons, and which ones he had to press to turn Sam into a pleading mess in a matter of minutes. And Dean was as stubborn as a donkey, and once he put his foot down about something, that was it. It was this that made Sam rather dubious that Gabriel's kitten-Castiel plan would actually get them anywhere. That, and the knowledge that when Dean was being manipulated, he did everything within his power to rebel.

Trying not to think about just how _weird_ it was, Sam bent down and scooped Castiel into his arms. The kitten wriggled a little, trying to find a spot that he found comfortable. Sam rolled his eyes. It didn't matter how Dean picked him up; the angelic cat just instantly relaxed into the hunter's touch. Still, could be worse. Every time Gabriel got within a few feet of Castiel, the angel would hiss and spit, swiping at him with his claws. And to be honest, Sam couldn't exactly blame him. _He_ wouldn't have been too happy with being changed into a kitten, and Castiel was an _angel_. Going from one of Heaven's deadliest weapons to a harmless, weak baby cat couldn't exactly be a pleasant experience, so it was understandable that he didn't want Gabriel anywhere near him.

"Gabe told me how you reverse this whole thing, you know." Sam spoke as he strolled along the street, glad that it was late and that nobody would see him talking to a kitten.

In his arms, Castiel stirred again and peered up at him with that unblinking blue stare of his, head slightly tilted. Sam took this as the angel pressing him to elaborate, so he did.

"It's all down to Dean. If Gabe's telling the truth, he's the only way out of this." In response, Castiel let out a quiet, dejected-sounding meow, and lowered his head again. "Hey," Sam said, jostling the kitten. "I know it's not gone well so far, but it's not completely hopeless. You never know, he -"

The rest of Sam's sentence was promptly cut off as Belinda Carlisle's '_Heaven Is a Place on Earth_' started blaring from his pocket. He jumped, highly alarmed, and adjusted the way he was holding Castiel so that he could reach his jacket pocket. As he pulled out his ringing phone, his look of surprise morphed into a variance of the bitchface that had become recognisable as being reserved for Gabriel.

"Jesus _Christ_.." He muttered darkly, ignoring the narrowed eyes Castiel had flashed his way at his blasphemy, and instead flipped the phone open. "Dean, I'm just heading out to get you. Where'd you go?"

But it wasn't Dean who answered.

"Heya _Sammy_," A woman's sneering tone filtered through the phone, and he heard a cackle somewhere in the background.

Sam instantly froze to the spot and Castiel's ears pricked upwards at the voice that was most definitely _not_ Dean. Sam's insides flooded with ice as he heard the woman waiting for him to answer, anger and fear thudding around his body in equal measure. Nobody in town knew their real names, so it seemed pretty clear that Dean had stumbled across the demons they were hunting.

"Where's Dean?" He ground out fiercely.

"Oh, he can't come to the phone right now." She said in the same, condescending tone. "He's a little tied up."

"I swear to God -" Sam began furiously.

"What? What are you and your _God_ going to do?" She laughed. "I gotta say, Sammy, I'm a little underwhelmed. The great Dean Winchester walked right into our hands. Don't worry, though. I'm sure we can prevent him from making such silly, schoolboy errors ever again." And with a final, ice cold laugh that sent unpleasant chills down Sam's spine, she hung up.

"_Shit_!" Sam yelled, shoving the phone back into his pocket. He then repeated the exclamation when the kitten slipped like a bar of soap from his hands, and shot off along the street. "Cas, wait! _CAS!_"

But the angel didn't listen; didn't even hesitate as he tore along the street, ignoring Sam's continued shouts. The moment he heard the demon's voice through Sam's phone, he forgot that he was stuck in the pretty useless body of a perfectly ordinary baby cat. He forgot that he had no access to his Grace, and that Gabriel was off in a huff, unable to change him back to fight even if he was able to. Castiel didn't care that just dashing in was a very bad idea and that sneaking to the Impala with Sam to gather weapons was a much wiser course of action. But that was wasting time they didn't have, and he needed to get to Dean _now_.

Although his wings were bound, the kitten's body was surprisingly quick and agile. It could also fit through small spaces, enabling Castiel to cut several corners and find ways through obstacles that Sam would have had to go around. He kept all of his attention focused on finding his way to Dean, nothing else mattered other than finding Dean and ensuring he was alive and well. Luckily, it seemed that Gabriel's spell hadn't penetrated deep enough to affect his bond with Dean's soul; although it was faint, he could still _feel_ it.

Bursting out through an overgrown hedge in somebody's garden, Castiel found himself in front of a small, dingy building. It was set at the end of the street beside a restaurant that bustled with people. The windows inside were darkened and the door was firmly closed, indicating that the place wasn't open for business. The sign above the doorway showed that it was a bar in faintly blinking letters, but half of the bulbs had blown. It didn't look like the sort of place Dean usually frequented, and if the hunter's dazzling soul wasn't gleaming from within, Castiel would have passed right by it.

He shot across the street, thankful for the cover the darkness provided, and hid himself in the shadows of the grimy building. None of the windows above his head were open, and nor were the ones set into the upper levels of the building. Sticking close to the shadows, Castiel dashed around the corner and found a wooden gate blocking off the passageway to the back of the bar. There was a miniscule gap beneath the bottom of the gate and the concrete floor, and thanking Gabriel for the first time for his new tiny frame, Castiel squeezed himself underneath.

He found himself in a small rectangle of concrete that supposedly doubled as a garden. There were weeds sticking up through cracks, overflowing bins and a strong smell of sulphur. Wrinkling his new sensitive nose against the horrible smell, Castiel was about to investigate any possible back entrances when the door flew open. Thinking quickly, he dived for cover behind one of the bins and peered out. Two demons were heading towards the gate he'd just crawled underneath, laughing about something; presumably on their way to check the front was clear.

But they'd left the door wide open.

Knowing it was doubtful he'd get another chance, Castiel shot inside. He emerged in a dimly lit hall, with creaking floorboards beneath his paws. He crept along the passage as quietly as he could, ears straining for the slightest noise. There was a flight of stairs stretching up to the upper levels to his left, and two closed doors to his right. Directly in front was an open doorway, and he could just make out the sound of voices. He hurried towards the sound, the feel of Dean's soul becoming stronger with every step he took.

After walking through the doorway, he found himself behind the bar. The room beyond was lit with flickering candles, and he could see a group of demons talking amongst themselves. Tied to a chair right in the centre of the room, glaring maliciously was Dean. Castiel felt an ache that had been present in his chest ever since hearing the demon on Sam's phone lessen, and he crept a little closer around the edge of the bar. There were six demons all huddled together a short distance from Dean, talking animatedly, all with smug, beaming smiles on their faces.

"Sammy's got more sense than you think, you know." Dean said suddenly, and Castiel was enraged to spot blood staining his face. "He's not just going to rush in here."

"We have his brother. Of course he is." One of the male demons said without even bothering to turn around.

"No, maybe he's right." Castiel felt his fur standing on end as the demon who spoke to Sam piped up. She was leaning against the bar, completely relaxed, almost enjoying herself. Dean's phone was being twirled around in her fingers. "That's why we sent those two off to track little Sammy down. We'll have them both soon enough, and then we can get on with this."

"Can you spare me the whole monologue? I've heard it so many times now; it gets a little boring." Dean said with a roll of his eyes.

The female demon smirked back at him, before sliding down from her seat and dropping his phone on the wooden surface. "It's not _you_ we're throwing this party for, Winchester." Dean's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and he frowned. She kept walking towards him, before folding her arms over her chest and bending down in front of him. She pointed to the floor underneath his chair, and Castiel turned to it, too. A ring of a substance of some sort glittered on the floorboards, and Castiel instantly recognised it. The last time he'd used Holy oil, it had been to trap Raphael. "Come on, Winchester. Call for angel-boy."

Dean scoffed and smiled at her coldly as he turned back from the ring of Holy oil. "So that's what this is all about? You don't give a shit about me or Sam, but we're bait for Cas?"

She smiled. "We have a deal with his big brother."

"Well, I hate to be the one that breaks this to you sweetheart, but Cas and I aren't exactly on speaking terms right now." Dean spat, and Castiel flinched. "And even if we were, I wouldn't sell him out to you."

The demon paused, the smirk never fading from her face. Then, without a word, she drew back to her fellow demons, who had watched the exchange intently. One of them handed her a knife, and she approached Dean again slowly, twirling it so that it caught the firelight. Dean watched her progress, his expression never faltering, scowling with every inch of hate he possessed.

"Call for the angel, Winchester, or we'll force it out of you. I think you know better than any of us the worst kinds of torture we can make you endure." And she laughed.

Despite the anger in his glare, Castiel could spot the flicker of pain that shot through Dean at those words. Castiel knew how Dean's remarkable soul was still branded with those memories of Hell, of how he had broken and tortured. Castiel knew better than all of them, even possibly Dean, just how raw and deep that pain went. It was stamped onto his very soul, engraved into his memory, marking something so pure and beautiful with such a dark, ugly mark. And this demon, who knew _nothing_ of what kind of 'deal' Raphael would have for her and her cronies, had the bare-faced audacity to _mock_ him for it?

Angels were one of Heaven's deadliest weapons. Castiel had told Dean that all that time ago when they had first met. To incur the wrath of an angel was something suicidal, much like stamping on the foot of a sleeping dragon. And even though Castiel was stuck in the body of a kitten, his fury knew no such bounds. It was the fury of an angel, of one of the universe's most dangerous weapons, of a creature that could – and would – kill in a moment's notice. So even though he shot out from behind the bar in the body of a kitten, every inch of him radiated that power, that fury.

"What the _fuck_?" Dean cried, gaping as the kitten they'd adopted came to a halt in front of him. It was staring at the demon, its fur standing on end, white splashes raised so they looked more like wings than ever before.

The demon too, was observing the kitten with an expression a mixture of shock and confusion. Then, her face split into a wide smile and she laughed. Behind her, the other demons began to laugh too, some gripping the bar for support.

"This is _adorable_." The demon smirked, lifting the knife from where it had been pointing at Dean and setting it on a nearby table. "Even _animals_ are willing to lay down their lives, simply to protect _you_."

Before Dean could so much as open his mouth, the kitten spat even more fiercely than it had done on its meetings with Gabriel, and sprung forwards. Its teeth latched onto the demon's leg, and it clung on, blue eyes flashing with rage. And then, to the sheer astonishment of everyone present in the room, the wound on the demon's leg began to sizzle and burn. She shrieked in pain, actual physical _pain_, and aimed a kick at the kitten's head. It released her and dodged the attack, backing up to guard Dean again, hissing.

"What the fuck..?" Dean repeated, staring at the small creature in awe.

With a snarl of anger, the demon snatched up the knife again but it wasn't Dean who she was looking at, now. Her eyes, which had flicked to coal black, had zeroed in on the kitten, which met her gaze with equal malice. The bite marks on her leg were still blistering, and the putrid smell of burning flesh filled the bar. Dean struggled against his bonds, not willing to let an innocent cat get injured because he'd been stupid enough to just waltz into the demons' hideout.

"Leave it alone, you bitch!" He shouted in an attempt to regain her attention.

But she completely ignored him. Dean was forced to watch as the cat sprung forwards again, but the demon moved too quickly for it to keep up. With a flash of the knife, it yowled in pain and landed awkwardly on the floor, blood pouring from the pads on its front paw. Dean struggled worse than ever, screaming at the demon to _stop_, but once again she ignored him. Barely pausing, she hit the kitten with the knife again, this time slashing its back as it wobbled on its injured leg. Then, with a look of disgust, she kicked the tiny thing and it flew into a dark corner where Dean didn't hear it move.

"You fucking -" He spat, and then let forth a string of insults that even Crowley would have cringed upon hearing. "I'm gonna _kill you_, you hear me? _I'm gonna fucking kill you_!"

The demon smirked, angling the knife so that the kitten's blood staining it dribbled into Dean's lap. "Getting this protective over a _cat_? Really, Winchester, I've got to say you've lost your touch."

Dean couldn't explain why the kitten's act had had such an impact on him. All he knew was that white hot rage was bubbling inside him, and that if he could just get a hold of that demon, he'd use every single torture method he ever learned to make sure her last moments on earth were the most painful of her life. Really, he supposed, it all came down to who the fluffy animal reminded him of. The eyes, that inquisitive head tilt, the way it had just rushed in to protect him. What was it Cas had said to him once? _I did it, all of it, for you_. And seeing the way it had dashed out of nowhere just to protect him.. It was so familiar to Castiel, it was physically painful.

"Yeah, maybe we're seeing a more human side of ol' Deano."

Dean and the demons all flinched, and looked towards the back of the bar. Gabriel was perched on the bar, legs crossed beneath him, looking downright _murderous_. Sam was beside him, panting and sweaty, and when he locked eyes with Dean he breathed a sigh of relief. The demons however, all looked terrified. Apparently Raphael had failed to mention Team Free Will had recently acquired their own archangel.

Upon seeing Gabriel's nod, Sam screwed his eyes shut and Dean followed suit immediately after. There was the blinding flash of light, swiftly followed by the horrible, drawn-out screams of the demons as they were roasted alive. It might have been his imagination, but Dean could have sworn that not only was the female ringleader's scream louder than the others, but it went on for a lot longer than theirs too. Almost as if it was Gabriel's intention to see her suffer, just like it was Dean's. But then silence was restored, and Dean opened his eyes as Gabriel snapped the ropes binding him to the chair out of existence.

"Dean? You alright?"

Sam was calling from the other side of the bar, but Dean didn't answer. Instead, he stumbled out of the chair and ran to the corner where the kitten had landed, searching desperately for any signs of life. Gabriel snapped the lights on, and Dean swore. The floor just in front of him was dyed red where the kitten's body had hit it and slid along. It lay against the wall, eyes half closed, breathing weakly. Dean reached out and ran a hand along its head, feeling a horrible pang in his stomach when it nuzzled closer to his fingers and purred.

"Oh my _God_, Gabriel, is he -?" Dean could just about hear Sam's voice over the strange rushing in his ears, but it dimly registered that his brother was entering full panic mode.

"He's alive." Dean answered, and was shocked at how weak his voice sounded.

"Sammy, go back to the motel. I'll handle this." Dean heard Gabriel say, and Sam's protests were cut short by another snapping of the archangel's fingers. Being more careful than he had been in a long while, Dean reached forwards and cradled the tiny kitten in his hands, turning to face the archangel who hadn't moved from his spot by the bar.

"Gabriel.." Dean began, hands buried in the kitten's fur. He could feel warm, sticky blood on his fingers, and the sounds of the cat's breathing was growing fainter with every passing second. "Gabriel, help him."

"Why?"

The question shocked Dean, and that shock swiftly turned into animalistic rage. "What the hell do you mean 'why'?! Help him!"

"Why is it my problem that some brainless cat stuck its neck out for you?" The archangel replied in a tone of ice. In Dean's hands, the kitten gave a pitiful whine, as if Gabriel's harsh words had hurt it even more.

"What are you _talking_ about?!" Dean exploded.

"What I'm saying, you clueless human, is that I don't understand how you can care this much about some random stray cat – one that you didn't even want to _keep_, and tried everything you could to get rid of it – when -"

"It saved -" Dean began, but was forced to stop when his throat physically constricted. He choked for breath, bringing one blood-stained hand up to massage the skin on his neck, meeting Gabriel's glowering gaze with every speck of anger he could muster.

"I wasn't done." The archangel snapped coolly. "Were you about to say how it saved your life? _That's_ why you've suddenly started caring? That's what it takes for you to show a basic human emotion towards another living thing? What about humans, Dean? Are they _important_ enough to be worthy of your gratitude? What about my little brother? Is he worth your notice?"

Dean became aware that Gabriel had unstuck his vocal cords, but he still couldn't force himself to speak. All he could do was continue to glare viciously at the archangel stood before him as the kitten gave yet another, even quieter cry. Gabriel's words were just hitting far too close to home, and he really couldn't deal with this right now.

"What's the matter?" Gabriel snapped angrily. "No witty comeback? No response whatsoever?"

"Gabriel, come on -"

"You care about a random stray cat, Winchester, but Castiel is worthless to you?"

"Can we talk about this -?"

"No, we're discussing it _now_. If you want me to save the cat, I suggest you start explaining yourself pronto."

"What do you want me to _say_, Gabriel?!" Dean cried, resting the kitten on the floor and throwing his arms wide for emphasis. "That I screwed up? That I made a lot of mistakes? That's hardly a surprise to anybody! But with Cas, yeah okay, maybe I fucked up more than usual!"

Gabriel docked an eyebrow, looking thoroughly unimpressed. "I'm sorry; 'maybe'?"

Dean groaned. "Okay yes, I royally screwed everything with him up. I expected him to always be there, and I didn't take as much time as I probably should have to worry about some things that were bugging him. I made him into someone who questioned, who went against what all the other angels thought were the orders of God. Everything that's happened to him, that's my fault, it's all on _my_ head."

"He _fixed_ you." Gabriel spat. "He took all that time to ensure every _tiny_ _little_ piece of you was put back together, but with Sam he was careless. But _you_, you he made damn _sure_ to fix properly. And in doing that, he broke himself." Gabriel ignored the flash of pain in Dean's eyes at those words, and continued. "He broke from _everything_ he's ever known, for _you_. What did you give him in return, Dean? Oh yeah. Pain. Suffering. Anger."

Dean didn't reply; he _couldn't_. But Gabriel was in full rant mode, and had taken a step closer. The air around him practically hummed in tune with his Grace, the lights that he'd snapped on beginning to flicker once again.

"Time and time again, he comes to you when you call. He gives everything he can to you, does all he can for you. And all you do is take him for granted. When's the last time you told him _you'd_ be there for _him_, huh Dean? When's the last time you dropped everything to go and help him? And the last time he reaches out to you for something, you pushed him away. That's all he is to you, right? Just a source of information and a shield, and you're perfectly willing to dive behind him and let _him_ take the bullet."

"That's _bullshit_, Gabriel." Dean snapped back, anger fuelling his words. "Next to Sam, Cas is the most important person in my life."

"Yeah, 'cos that _really_ shows."

"You have no idea what me means to me, Gabriel! Without him, there's no way me and Sam would have stopped the Apocalypse. Without him, this whole world would be a smoking ruin. He's seen me at my worst. He pulled me out of _Hell_, for fuck's sake. He pulled me out of there under orders, and then he broke ranks, and he did it because I asked him to. I know how it feels to have father you worship and who's never around. Cas did something I never could, and he turned his back on that, on everything he knew. And he did that for _me._" Dean trailed off, his heart hammering in his chest. "Everything he's done, he's done it for me. And all I've done is treat him like something dispensable.."

Gabriel nodded. "Yeah, and for some reason, he loves you. And before you say a damn word," He snapped, raising his index finger as Dean's jaw dropped, "I happen to know you return those feelings. You and Sam both suffer from this same affliction which makes you believe you're not good enough for us; not worthy of having angels love you. But let me give you the same lecture I gave him at the time. It's _our_ choice. We wouldn't allow ourselves to fall for someone who isn't _worthy_, so just quit it with all the self-loathing crap, alright? If you care about Castiel as much as you say you do, you'll break down this wall you've put up to keep him out, and let him in. Otherwise you're going to lose him forever."

"Is that what you want me to say?" Dean spoke, his voice croaky. "Will you save the cat and go and talk to Cas into talking to me again if you hear me say that?"

"Maybe." Gabriel replied, but raised his eyebrows in an expectant manner.

Dean swallowed the lump that had nestled in his throat, and nodded. "Yeah, it's true. I miss him when he's not around, and there are times when I've wanted to call him just to hang out, to spend more time with him. I miss the way he acts when he doesn't get what's going on, and that tiny smile he has. I miss his eyes, and the sound of his wings when he comes and leaves." Dean took a breath, running a hand through his hair, unable to believe he was _finally_ getting this off his chest. "I miss the way he looks at me. Like he _needs_ me. Like he's seeing through all the crap and shit that I can see, to something that he thinks is amazing. Like all the stuff I've done just goes away, and doesn't matter. I think -"

"So you're saying you miss him?"

Dean growled and snapped, "I'm saying I love him, okay?!"

At that, there was silence. Dean's gaze dropped to the floor and he felt his stomach churning uncomfortably. He hadn't _meant_ to say that, it had just _happened_. Gabriel's interruption had irritated him, and the words had slipped out from his lips before he could stop them. But to have said it, he had to have been thinking it, right? And as he knelt there, mulling it all over, it became blatantly obvious to him. He'd been climbing the walls inside his mind over the last few days, constantly worrying about whether or not Castiel was alright, wondering what he could do to make up for fucking up the latest good thing he had going.

To Dean's utter bewilderment, the next sound he heard was sniggering. He glanced up and gaped when he saw the change that had come over Gabriel. The archangel was smirking, his hands resting in the pockets of his jacket, utterly relaxed. It was the polar opposite from the tense, fuming archangel of approximately three seconds ago. Before Dean could say a word, Gabriel's grin widened and he spoke.

"There. That wasn't so traumatic, was it?"

Just in front of him, Dean heard a rush of air. He turned to face the floor before him, his alarm evident on his face, and swore under his breath. The kitten's entire body was glowing a startling white and growing brighter with every passing second. As he watched, its body began to grow; its legs lengthened into arms and legs and became unmistakably human. Its tail and ears shrunk into nothingness and Dean saw the unique messy dark peaks of a hairstyle he could pinpoint anywhere. And then the light faded, revealing Castiel, sprawled out on his front on the stone floor, completely naked. Dean instantly felt traitorous heat rise up in his cheeks, but couldn't force himself to look away.

"Here bro, cover up what's left of your vessel's modesty." Gabriel laughed, snapping the trenchcoat on top of the angel's form. "And Deano, do me a favour, and leave the staring at his ass for when you guys don't have an audience."

At this Dean, who had been watching the ugly wounds on Castiel's back and hand heal themselves, turned bright red and whirled about again. "I wasn't!"

But Gabriel only smirked. "Sure thing, Deano. Sure thing." He paused, raising his hand to snap his fingers. "Oh, and Dean? Next time, save me and Sammy a whole lot of aggro and stress, and just tell me bro you love him, 'kay?"

And before Dean could splutter in protest, or question that Sam had been in on the whole thing, Gabriel snapped his fingers.

* * *

The next thing Dean was aware of was the softness of a mattress beneath his body. He sat bolt upright and glanced around. He only began to relax when he discovered that he was simply back in his motel room. Gabriel had thoughtfully fixed the lights and window – probably under Sam's orders – but the indentation was still imprinted into the wall. Dean winced, his back shooting a spasm of pain in recollection. Gabriel had probably left it there deliberately as a sign of what he was perfectly capable of doing should Dean hurt Castiel again.

"Got the message, Gabriel. Loud and clear." He muttered quietly.

"Dean?"

The hunter flinched and turned. Castiel was lying as stiff as a board on his back on the bed beside him. And if the visible collar bones jutting up through his skin just underneath the duvet were anything to go by, he was still missing a few articles of clothing. Dean couldn't help but grin down at him, before reaching out and taking hold of the angel's previously injured hand. There was no evidence that the demon's knife had cut there at all, but Dean just had to check. He was also itching to check the angel's back, but didn't know how to quite word the request in a way that didn't sound weird.

"Dean, I can assure you that I have sustained no permanent injury." Castiel said, and Dean caught sight of that small smile he'd come to love so damn much.

"Good." He replied, sitting up straighter and sighed. "It's good to know you're still every bit as reckless when you're a cat as an angel."

Still lying on the pillow, Castiel was unable to tilt his head in its trademark angle to demonstrate his confusion. "If I had not, you could have died."

"Yeah, well, I'm not exactly sold on the idea of you dying, Cas." Dean said almost silently, and then a thought occurred to him. "Hey, did you hear what I was saying to your dick of a brother?"

Castiel's eyes lit up, and Dean's heart thumped a little harder. "I heard it all. And Gabriel was correct in his assumption. I do love you, Dean."

"Good," He repeated with a smile, lying down next to the angel. "'Cos I don't feel like repeating it all right now."

And he leant forward and pressed his lips to Castiel's. The angel was hesitant at first, and Dean had to show him the simplest techniques of kissing, but eventually the angel got it. Unlike sarcasm and the use of pop culture references, this seemed to be something Castiel could grasp the hang of immediately. Dean grinned as he pulled away teasingly and Castiel frowned, before tugging him straight back. Dean was in such a good mood, he was even contemplating thanking Gabriel for inventing the whole scheme.

Well, he was. Right up until the point that the archangel popped into their room, singing '_A Thousand Year_s_'_ at the top of his lungs.


	7. Never Forget You

_I know this world feels like an empty stage_

_I wouldn't change a thing_

_So glad you're back again_

_I'll never forget you_

_They said we'd never make it_

_My sweet joy, always remember me_

It took them _two hours_ to get rid of Gabriel.

He insisted on 'serenading' them as they 'consummated their relationship', and proceeded to sing each and every one of the crappy love songs he'd played for them when they were stuck in the Impala. And when Dean called Sam to order him to come and deal with the archangel, his brother had simply laughed and told Dean he deserved a little revenge after all the work Gabriel had had to put in. Eventually though, Sam took pity and came to collect Gabriel, which was lucky seeing as by that point, even Castiel was snarling death threats at the archangel.

All in all, not the most ideal first night to spend with your new boyfriend.

By the time they were finally alone once more, the mood had well and truly evaporated. Dean after all was one step short of storming over to Sam's room just to shoot a useless gun at Gabriel in an attempt to make him feel better. But, as Castiel rightly pointed out, that would only result in an angry archangel and an equally fuming younger brother.

But it seemed the angel wasn't willing to let Gabriel get away scot free, and asked for Dean's assistance in ways to get even. Dean supposed this was down to all Castiel had suffered from at his brother's hands, only to be interrupted when things _finally_ got moving between them, but Castiel denied it flatly when Dean asked. He claimed instead that it was due to being sick of the archangel's constant pranks on Dean, and believed that it was time that Gabriel got a taste of his own medicine with a special twist of Trickster.

They spent the evening lying next to each other comfortably on the bed, talking through potential ideas, knees bumping together under the duvet and hands occasionally brushing. Although many of their thoughts – Dean's in particular – were ultimately impossible due to Gabriel's greater power, they were still fun to discuss. And what only made it more amusing for the hunter was that Castiel never knew whether or not he was joking; he could suggest the most obscene ideas and laugh at the seriousness with which Castiel answered.

Eventually though, Dean succumbed to the stresses and strains of the day, and he fell asleep. Castiel continued to lay beside him, watching the hunter as he slept peacefully, telling himself that he was only lingering in case Dean had a nightmare and needed to be brought into a peaceful, dreamless state. And while that remained a significant part of his reasoning, it was overshadowed by the simple fact that he _enjoyed_ watching Dean sleep beside him. This man, usually so sharp and alert, trusted Castiel enough to allow him to remain nearby when he was in his most vulnerable state. And when it came to Dean, in Castiel's opinion that was as good as a love confession any day.

* * *

The first thing Dean saw when he opened his eyes the next morning was nothing but startling blue.

On instinct he jolted backwards with a yell, hand already flying underneath his pillow to the concealed weapon hidden beneath. By that point though, he was far enough away to be able to see the whole of Castiel, not just his eyes. The angel was lying in exactly the same position he'd been in when Dean had fallen asleep the night before, only a lot closer. Breathing a sigh of both relief and irritation, he slumped face-first into the pillow and groaned.

"Jesus, Cas, don't _do_ that."

Castiel frowned at the blasphemy, but obligingly scooted himself backwards a few inches. "My apologies."

A rush of cold air instantly hit Dean's body as the angel's warmth was removed, and with another groan he reached out and tugged Castiel back. But it wasn't cuddling, it _wasn't_. "I didn't say you had to move away."

"You wish for me to stay with you like this?"

As Dean huffed out a laugh, the peaks of Castiel's dark hair just beneath his mouth danced, tickling his chin. "I could get used to it."

"That is fortunate. I had no intentions of leaving."

Dean grinned. "So, have you been watching me all night?"

"Is that a problem?"

"Not gonna lie, Cas, it's a little creepy."

"My apologies, Dean. It is not in an angel's nature to sleep, nor did I wish to leave you."

And hearing Castiel say that didn't leave Dean feeling lighter than he had in years, it totally didn't. He lay down flat, arm still wound around the angel's shoulders, Castiel's head balanced on his shoulder. Then hesitantly, almost as if he were unsure of how Dean would react, Castiel's arm began to slowly creep across Dean's waistline, moving at a snail's pace. With a roll of his eyes, Dean grabbed the angel's wrist and pulled him so that he was practically laying on top, arm secured firmly around the hunter's waist and legs tangled together underneath the duvet. And when Castiel seemed to unstiffen and relax against him, he'd deny the burst of happiness he felt until the day he died.

They lay like that for a while in silence, both enjoying the simple, innocent touches. It had been a while since Dean had lay in a bed with someone like this without expecting sex, and to his surprise found it rather enjoyable. That wasn't to say he wasn't looking forward to the day when he and Cas really _did_ consummate their relationship because my God he was, but for now, this was nice, normal, peaceful. And anyone knows the Winchesters hadn't known _that_ feeling for a long time. It felt good to _finally_ be able to take a break, relax and just enjoy the moment.

"I apologise for all the trouble Gabriel has caused you recently, Dean." Castiel said suddenly, and Dean felt the angel's body tense slightly as he spoke. "Had I known what would transpire when I revealed the truth to him, I would have kept my silence."

"What?"

"Gabriel came to me eleven days ago, asking me bizarre questions about my relationship with you."

"And let me guess. He got you to admit you loved me, and that's when all this crap started?"

Castiel nodded. "The next day he trapped us in the Impala."

Dean rolled his eyes and scowled. Of course it did. He should have realised something was going on. Gabriel may enjoy messing with him and barrelling him towards the brink of insanity, but when he involved Castiel as well it should have clicked that the archangel had some sort of ulterior motive. And, although he'd said it as a joke, Dean had managed to hit the nail on the head back in the car. Gabriel _had_ been trying to set them up. He'd just decided to go about it in a way that was over-the-top and ridiculous. Typical.

Castiel still felt tense in his arms, so Dean began rubbing circles into his spine. It did the trick, and Castiel began to be at ease once again. "Hey, it's okay. In a weird way, I guess it means I owe him thanks. And you have no idea how wrong it feels for me to say that, but it's true. I wouldn't have done anything about this if he hadn't thrown me in at the deep end."

The angel moved to turn his head and looked up at Dean. "I do not understand that reference."

Dean couldn't help but snort with laughter. "I'm saying I'm happy he stepped in."

Realisation dawned on Castiel's face, and Dean felt his heart beat a little faster when the angel smiled. Not one of his usual I'm-kind-of-smiling-but-it's-only-in-my-eyes smiles, but a full blown one with eye crinkles and everything. It was certainly a shock to Dean's system, and the way it made Castiel's blue eyes light up was plenty of incentive for Dean to want to bring it out again and again.

"As am I, Dean."

* * *

"How long does it take to get out of bed?"

"I dunno Sammy, we usually take a while." Gabriel replied, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Sam snorted, not in the mood for jokes of any kind and nodded. He and Gabriel were waiting next to the Impala, ready to move on to their next destination. Well, that was the idea. Sam had phoned Dean to wake him up, not trusting Gabriel to do it after the firecracker incident, and that had been over two hours ago. He was fighting the temptation to send the archangel in with free reign of all his powers, when their door opened and both Dean and Castiel emerged.

"_Finally_."

And really, Sam should have recognised the warning signs that he was about to get a sudden desire for brain bleach. Dean was grinning, full out _grinning_, and Castiel's hair was even more mussed up than usual. Not only that, but the two of them just seemed to radiate that glow that came after _certain activities_. But he was too annoyed at having had to wait for _two freaking hours_ outside that he wasn't paying attention.

"Seriously, Dean? What were you doing that took you _two hours_?" He snapped the second they were close enough.

And that, really, was when the penny dropped.

What helped was when Dean's grin widened even further and he said, "Sorry, Sammy. Cas just saw me getting changed and I guess he couldn't help himself." He then leant closer to his brother and the archangel and added, "Best shower _ever_."

At his words, Castiel's cheeks were suddenly swimming with colour and he glared at the back of Dean's still grinning head. Sam, on the other hand, closed his eyes and shuddered hard. "Kill me. Kill me now."

Gabriel, on the other hand, burst out laughing. "Yeah, I get that with Sammy all the time."

"Seriously, Cas. Stab me, right now." Sam continued. "Anything to save me from hearing this."

But Dean didn't rise to Gabriel's bait, didn't make a comment. Instead, he just shrugged, grin never faltering even once. Even Gabriel looked shocked by it. And that expression raised a notch or two at Dean's next words.

"Oh yeah, Gabriel. Guess I better thank you."

"Deano, are you feeling alright?"

"Never better. Seriously though dude, thanks."

"What for?"

"You gave me a whole list of ideas of things I want to try out with Cas. First stop, getting him a collar."

The reaction to these words was explosive. Castiel turned scarlet and if looks could kill, Dean would have been more than fifty feet under, encased in solid concrete. With a groan and a mutter of 'Oh God, I'm gonna throw up', Sam ducked out of sight into the Impala and slammed the door a little louder than was necessary. Once there he hunkered down into the passenger seat, hands clamped over his ears. Gabriel pulled a face; a strange mixture caught somewhere between amusement and disapproval.

Then, still grinning, Dean said, "Storing _that_ expression in my memory bank forever."

The corners of Gabriel's mouth twitched upwards, and he nodded. "You're aware this means war, Kiddo."

**~ * ~ FIN ~ * ~**

* * *

Thanks to everybody who reviewed, faved or watched this; I can't express how much that means to me, and how much I love you guys :) Hope you enjoyed this, and keep watching me 'cos I have two more Supernatural fics to write! ^^


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